Reid Ducks the Media as 2010 Fight Looms

Reporters are used to getting a press conference from Harry Reid every Thursday, but since the August recess he’s been canceling them, opting instead to get the message out in more controlled environments like Senate floor speeches. A spokesman says Reid’s not intentionally hiding out, but analysts tell the Hill that he’s probably trying to limit his potential for damaging gaffes ahead of his 2010 reelection campaign.

Until now, Reid’s been something of a free-swinger, which has forced him to eat his words more than once—like when he called George W. Bush a “loser,” or said Ted Kennedy’s cancer was in remission. “Every time Reid goes out to do a press conference, his staff cringes because they don’t know what he’s going to say,” says one analyst. (More Harry Reid stories.)