A leader from the wilderness
Reid served two terms in the House of Representatives before being elected to the Senate in 1986, the same year as Daschle, whose Election Day loss he still mourns. "I'm only in this job because of the unfortunate loss of my brother," he says, his tone making it clear that he is not yet in a forgiving mood about the way Republicans went after Daschle. Majority Leader Frist, breaking with tradition, was the first party leader in recent memory to campaign against the other party leader on his home turf. "I'm trying my best to get over that," Reid says. "But my responsibilities here in the Senate are not of a personal nature."
Perhaps not. But when you're as passionate as Reid, it's hard not to take things personally. A reporter once asked him why he was so bent on punishing a law firm that had crossed him. Reid responded: "I believe in vengeance." It's hard to tell whether he was joking or not.
"The Senate was not established to make things easy."
Born: Dec. 2, 1939
Family: Married, wife Landra. Five children, 15 grandchildren
Education: Utah State Univ. B.S., 1961; George Washington Univ. J.D., 1964
Public service: Nevada assemblyman, 1968-70; lieutenant governor, 1970-74; U.S. rep., 1983-87; U.S. senator, 1987-present
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