Military Genius Senator Harry Reid

This week:

1. Senator Harry Reid called General Peter Pace "incompetent." For good measure, later in the same conversation, Harry denigrated both General Pace and General David Patraeus as incompetent. Beyond the ludicrous spectacle of warrior Harry pronouncing this judgment in this instance, consider the hypocrisy:

• Harry just confirmed General Patraeus to his position in January.
  
• As leader of the Senate majority party - rather than stand by while American personnel are led by incompetent officers - isn't Harry honor-bound to institute impeachment proceedings against both Gen. Pace and Gen. Patreaus? He has this power, since both were confirmed to their positions by Congress. He also has this moral responsibility.

2. Majority Leader Reid and Majority Leader Pelosi sent an official letter to Pres. Bush, stating that "the Surge" has failed, and that they will institute legislation to force Pres. Bush to pull our troops out of Iraq. This is an interesting conclusion, since Surge operations have not yet begun.

Quoting from memory - and therefore inexactly - from an audio interview from earlier this week with Dr. David Kilcullen: an Aussie terrorism expert and military officer who is part of the Coalition military effort in Iraq:

I'm already seeing some [political] talk about how the surge has failed -- about how we've been going at it since January, and not accomplished anything. And I would say, pay attention in the coming months, because we really haven't begun. All we've been doing, since January, is putting assets into place -- positioning them, if you will. Significant operations will be occurring.

Click here for the audio interview, plus an outstanding text description of the counterinsurgency strategy of the Coalition - as related from the inside, by Dr. Kilcullen.

I find it difficult to conjure an suitably smarmy adjective to describe Harry Reid's treachery. "Craven" sticks in my head - yet it doesn't work:

Craven: cowardly; contemptibly timid.

I'm looking for an adjectival combination of misguided, calculatingly treacherous, and soulless - with a liberal sprinkling of venomous on top. I can't find an adequate adjective. Harry Reid reminds me of a treacherous snake - except a snake has a better idea of what it is doing.

Wretchard:

It was a revealing moment. About Reid; about the audience he was speaking to; and about a belief in their own competence that is so strong they believe it trumps the experience of the men on the spot, whether enlisted man, junior officer or general officer. It was a thumbnail portrait of a large section of the antiwar movement and a preview of their own capacities. And the funniest part of it, perhaps, is that Senator Reid may not realize what a figure he cuts upon the stage.