One of the reasons Netflix’s House of Cards is so popular is that Francis Underwood, the fictional president played by Kevin Spacey, makes for a juicy villain, one utterly drenched in his own cynicism. But most people know the show is a fantasy. “No one can possibly be that amoral and rise to the highest levels of government,” one of my Michigan relatives told me. “Thank goodness.”
But Harry Reid, who announced his retirement from politics last Friday, sure comes close. Consider his exit interview with CNN’s Dana Bash. During it, Reid said he had no regrets about falsely claiming that 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney hadn’t paid his taxes. When asked if his methods were reminiscent of McCarthyism, he responded, “They can call it whatever they want. Romney didn’t win, did he?”
Apparently, Reid felt the ends justified any means. In this case, the end was ensuring Barack Obama remained president in 2012. “I care about Obama, he changed the world,” Reid told CNN. And when you’re changing the world, a little lying is just part of the territory. Frank Underwood would consider Reid a star pupil.