Up From Searchlight

Would you ever consider giving up your leadership post to Senator Clinton to get her to give up her presidential campaign?
It's not a question of giving up my post. The only thing that's been written on that came from a Republican operative, Bill Kristol, who, of course, would do anything he can to hurt Democrats. I'm elected by 50 Democrats. I have pretty good support among my caucus. Senator Clinton is a good friend of mine. I can't imagine she'd even consider that.

In the book you make reference to former Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen warning you in 1989 that President George H.W. Bush was a good guy but to watch out for First Lady Barbara Bush, because she's a bitch. Then you write that the current President Bush is more like his mother than his father. Can you explain that?
The purpose of putting that in the book was to show the difference between George Bush the first and George Bush the second. George Bush the first was so easy to work with, so fair, so understanding of what government's all about. The son is just the opposite.

You make a point of criticizing President Bush for not being willing to acknowledge mistakes or even being able to think of one. But in the book you don't cop to any mistakes of your own as Senate Majority Leader. I'm going to put you on the spot here: name one.
Oh, I can name lots of them. First and the most glaring is that I didn't ask a lot more questions on the second Gulf War. I look back and think, "Why didn't I do that?"

But you weren't majority leader then. What about since then?
As majority leader I think reaching out to the Republicans. I've done it a lot; perhaps I could do it more. But when we've been stopped so many times, your patience runs thin.

Your father is described as a misogynist who would not read a book written by a woman. How would he have viewed this year's presidential race? Do you think he would be representative of good white male Democrats who say they won't vote for a woman or black man?
My dad did say that, but I'm sure my dad—you know, he killed himself quite a few years ago—I'm sure he would've grown with the times. He was a person who, as I explain in the book, was depressed a lot.

You also write that at one point you had to punch your future father-in-law, an observant Jew who was trying to stand in the way of your dating his daughter, Landra. Is that a courtship tactic you'd recommend?
Well, it worked for me. [Laughs] Let me say this. I was 18 years old and I was in love. His daughter and I were going together since I was 15, she was 14. So I didn't realize, coming from the religious background I came from [Reid was raised in a secular household but later became a Mormon], that there were centuries of tradition standing in my way with my father-in-law. The fact is, he had harassed me and my wife quite a bit in the preceding several months. So he stood at the door and pushed me, and my patience had run out. That was a little physical episode that didn't take very long, but it had a good ending. I have his ring that he gave me on his deathbed. He died at the young age of 52.