Republican senators are backing down from efforts to topple Sen. Harry Reid, having concluded that the Nevada Democrat has done more to hurt himself than they could do with an inevitably futile drive to oust him as Senate majority leader.
In the immediate wake of news that Reid had referred to Barack Obama as a “light-skinned” African-American with no “Negro dialect,” a number of GOP leaders — including Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele — said the majority leader should resign. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to join the chorus Wednesday. And immediately afterward, several other GOP senators decided not to jump into the fray.
Republicans say Reid has done enough to embarrass himself — and to make his already tough bid for a fifth term even harder.
Full story: GOP: Let Harry Reid hang himself – Manu Raju – POLITICO.com.