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Name: Harry Reid, J.D.
Title: United States Senator (D-NV)

Position: Con to the question "Should the U.S. have attacked Iraq?"

Reasoning: "There is nothing careless about pointing to the President’s mistakes and missteps in Iraq. In fact, we must. His misjudgments have made America less safe.

From the outset, Administration blunders increased the costs and risks of confronting Saddam Hussein and securing Iraq. The Administration built its case for war on faulty and cherry-picked intelligence.

Smoking guns would become mushroom clouds….Al Qaeda and Saddam had a dangerous alliance…nuclear weapons materials were flowing into Iraq from Africa…we could invade Iraq without diverting resources from the ongoing war on terror…the Iraq war would be over quickly and the costs would be covered by the proceeds from Iraqi oil sales. All these assertions, of course, turned out to be false."

"Reid Calls for a Change in Course in Iraq"
June 22, 2006 speech on the Floor of the U.S. Senate

Credibility/
Ranking:		  Expert/VIP
PhD's, JD's (lawyers), Judges, Members of Congress, Ambassadors, Council Generals, heads of government, members of legislative bodies with significant involvement in, or related to, the US-Iraq conflict.
Involvement:
  • 2006-present - Senate Majority Leader
  • 2004-2006 - Senate Democratic Leader and Minority Leader
  • 2001-2005 - Majority Whip, U.S. Senate
  • 1999-2001 - Minority Whip, U.S. Senate
  • 1986-present - U.S. Senator (D-NV)
  • 1982-1987 - Member U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District, Nevada
  • 1977-1981 - Chairman, Nevada Gaming Commission
  • 1970 1974 - Lieutenant Governor, Nevada
  • 1969-1970 - Member, Nevada State Assembly

Education:
  • J.D., George Washington University, 1964
  • B.S., Utah State University, 1961

Relevant Affiliations:
  • Chairman, Select Committee on Ethics
  • Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works
  • Co-chairman, Senate Democratic Conference
  • Co-chairman, Democratic Policy Committee
  • Member, Special Committee on Aging
  • Member, Committee on Appropriations
  • Member, Committee on Indian Affairs

Contact Info: Phone: 202-224-3542, Washington, DC Office  FAX: 202-224-7327, Washington, DC Office
E-Mail: Online Contact Form
Web Site: U.S. Senate profile
Other: Select Publications:
  • State Wildlife Conservation Needs: Field Hearing Before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, U.S. Senate, Darby, PA: Diane Publishing Company, 2003
  • Outside Verdict, Edinburgh, Scotland: Saint Andrew Press, 2002
  • Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail, Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1998
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