How many vetoes will we override between now and January '09? Want to see the Weekly Reid on it's global warming soapbox? How about some Reid video? Reid On!

Nevada First: Overridden! Big news out of the Senate last week. By a whopping margin, the Senate overrode President Bush's veto of the Farm Bill. The Weekly Reid won't go into the tortured logic Bush used to justify vetoing the bill. We're all tightening our purse strings as a result of the Bush-McCain economic policies, and low-income Americans are shouldering an even heavier burden. In rural Nevada, the rising cost of healthy food is taking its toll on the neediest of our fellow citizens (see Senator Reid's op-ed in the Reno Gazette Journal) Democrats used the Farm Bill to bring much needed relief to rural America - confirming once again we stand up for struggling families.

Let's take a look at what the override would do:

-- Provide $10 over the next 10 years for nutritional programs to help millions of families afford healthy food.

-- Provide $1.2 billion over the same period to help food banks replenish their pantries.

-- Raise the minimum food stamp benefit from $10 to $14 - the first increase in 3 decades.

Oh, and the bill would cap payments to absentee farmers who don't need the subsides.

Like we said, we're not going to bore you with the tortured logic used to justify the President's veto. We'll just tip our hat to James Madison, and say, "Thanks for the Checks and Balances."

Must Reid: Veto Proof (Again). The Weekly Reid is happy to report that the 21st Century GI Bill passed last week, as a part of the supplemental war funding bill. The bill passed with a veto proof majority: 75-22 (it's a testament to the sad state we're in when we need to qualify this bill as "veto proof"). Noticeably absent? John McCain. Who said he'd vote against it anyway.

Against? Yes. He objects to the amount of money spent in the bill (for things like extending unemployment benefits) and says the GI education benefits would discourage troops who wish to reenlist. Forget the fact that we owe America's bravest a full ride and a diploma. And forget that the biggest deterrent to reenlistment is the failed strategy of Bush-McCain in Iraq.

On a related note, 25 Republicans broke ranks with the President and John McCain on this bill. 25. What does that say about John McCain as the new leader of the GOP? What about the president's influence? Leave it up to Senator Reid to, in just a few words, capture the dismal state of the Bush-McCain role in domestic and foreign policy, "What influence?"

Soapbox Time. When the Senate returns next week, they'll take up the Climate Change Bill. We usually think about global warming in terms of crazy weather patterns, super storms and melting glaciers. But an important part of fighting global warming is preventing the humanitarian crisis that comes along with the longer, drier summers and severe storms. For example, with hotter summers and longer droughts, and as farmland dries up, people (especially in developing countries) flock to big cities - cities that don't have the infrastructure in place to support a population explosion. Diseases run rampant and clean water becomes tougher to find. Next comes a food crisis in these big cities. A recent study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that global warming will likely lead to 40 to 170 million people being malnourished in the coming decades. So the next time a winger tells you global warming ain't a problem, take away his sandwich and tell him people are starving.

Reid's Watching: Recess TeeVee. Two quick video links for you. Senator Reid was on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos a few weeks ago. Watch the video here. And the good Senator was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. Check out the video here.

Nevada First: File under "Party Unity" - When you get 2,500 Democrats in a room, only one thing is certain - there are (at least) 2,500 different opinions on how to right the USS America after 8 years with George W. Bush at the helm. But this weekend in Reno, 2,500 Democrats converged on the Grand Sierra Resort for the Nevada State Democratic Convention. In what we all hope is a preview of the Denver Convention, delegates passed a party platform and committed to working together to beat John McCain. We may be the Big Tent Party - but when it comes to ending the greatest foreign policy blunder in our nation’s history, we stand together.

Senator Reid addressed the convention, noting how many new (and excited) Democrats we have as a result. He also took aim at Senator McCain, reminding the assembled masses that John McCain isn’t the maverick he claims to be, "I know where he stands on the issues. I've seen him vote. He's a flawed candidate. He has the wrong temperament, he's wrong on the war, he's wrong on the economy, and we're going to beat John McCain. We don't need a George Bush clone." Watch the whole speech here.

File Under "Bush III" - The Weekly Reid is a huge fan of this new DNC sponsored website: McCainpedia.com. Want the truth on George W. McCain and Yucca Mountain? Click here (it ain't good). Hours of enjoyment - just a click away.

Must Reid: File Under "Here We Go Again" - It’s supplemental time again in DC. And with Democrats in control of both houses of Congress, we have the opportunity to change course and give our troops the support they’ve earned. Whereas the Republican majorities in the 108th and 109th Congress simply rubberstamped the Administration's failed policy, Democrats in the 110th Congress are addressing the problems the Bush Republicans have ignored.

In English: We’re cleaning up their mess. The President’s failed policies have us spending $5,000 a second in Iraq. That means, in the time it took you to read this paragraph, you could have bought a new car. With the money spent on 15 seconds of the war in Iraq, the Weekly Reid could completely pay off its college loans.

File under "8 Semesters" - This week the Senate will also take up the new GI Bill, sponsored by over half of the Senate, half of the House and nearly every veterans group under the sun. Slam Dunk, right? Well, there’s still half of both houses who HAVEN’T cosponsored it. One reason to support it: This war has put heavy burdens on our National Guard and Reservists. Under the current education benefits, they receive only a small fraction of the money they need for higher education. Which, as you know, is the best ticket we have to the middle class.

File Under The Long Goodbye - Job Description: Regulate campaign finance legislation; interpret the current laws, issuing rulings and clarifications; maintain the integrity of the commission. Candidate Qualifications: worked to suppress Democratic voter turnout while working at the DOJ. Appointed to the FEC through a recess appointment; faced fierce criticism when nominated for a full term.

The FEC has been hamstrung by a fight over nominees to the commission - with only two full members, they haven’t even been able to reach a quorum. With the withdraw of Hans von Spakovsky this week (the above referenced resume) it looks like the FEC is making a come back.

Reid’s Watching: File Under "Yep. Alaska!" - Two polls out last week confirm what the Weekly Reid’s been saying for months now. Mark Begich (Mayor of Anchorage) is the real deal. And Uncle Ted is in a heap of trouble. Mayor Mark is up five points in this Research 2000 poll and two points in this Rasmussen poll. Oh, and look at the favorable/unfavorables for Senator Stevens! It’s gonna be a long, sunny summer for Democrats in Alaska. On the web: www.begich.com

File Under "Rocky Mountain Dem" - Mark Udall was officially recognized as the Democratic nominee for the Colorado Senate seat being vacated by Wayne Allard. At the state convention over the weekend, Mark thanked his fellow Democrats and took aim at “Big Oil” Bob Schaffer, “We can't afford another year of an energy policy written by the oil industry, and we can't afford to send another politician to Washington who stands up for the oil companies instead of the people and the future of our state.” Mark’s gonna win this race! On the web - www.markudall.com.

Nevada First: Empty Wallets. Let’s turn the clock back to May 2000. The good ol’ days. The Boy Band craze was on it’s way out. No one knew what a hanging chad was. And a barrel of crude oil cost $27.39. Fast forward to 2008 - instead of *NSYNC we have the Jonas Brothers. HBO’s “Recount” er, recounts, those crazy weeks when hanging chads got the media coverage Star Jones craves for. And oil costs over $125 a barrel. Nevadans are paying $3,000 dollars more a year for gas than they were 7 years ago. Where’s that money coming from?

The Bush administration’s oil-friendly policies amount to the one of the greatest shakedowns of American families in our nation’s history. And as the Washington Post/ABC News poll released this week shows, Americans are looking to Democrats (by 21 points) to fix the disastrous policies of the Bush administration. Exhibit A as to why there are 50,000 new active Democratic voters in Nevada.

Up From Searchlight. Newsweek sits down with Senator Reid to discuss his new book, The Good Fight (currently the best selling book about Nevada on Amazon.com). Read it for exclusive dating advice from the Majority Leader.

Must Reid: Stop-This. This LA Times piece from last Friday gave the Weekly Reid serious agita. The President promised to minimize the number of troops affected by the stop-loss policy (read: back-door draft) that keeps troops in uniform well past the time their service should end. With the announcement of the surge, there's been a 43% increase in the number of soldiers who've seen their tours extended. To make matters worse, the Army Times reported last week that the program will continue until the fall of 2009.

Not even divine intervention. Mere days after the Supreme Court handed the Right a huge victory in their effort to disenfranchise as many voters as possible (and reminded us once again that John McCain is no maverick), 12 Roman Catholic nuns were denied their right to vote because they lacked photo ID. None of them drive. One is 98.

The Samuel Gompers Seal of Approval. The Weekly Reid’s been harping on the Bush Republican’s war on the middle class for months now. What’s the best ticket to the middle class? The right to bargain collectively. This week, the Senate takes up the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. Want fair wages for the men and women on the front lines of protecting our families? This is the bill for you! Want to strengthen the ties of our first responders to their communities? This bill does just that! Now, if we can just put the L back in the NLRB…

Reid’s Watching: Webb 2.0. Lots of people in DC and the blogosphere have been comparing Kay Hagan’s challenge to Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina to the now famous Jim Webb/George Allen battle in ’06. Well, on the heels of the new Rasmussen poll, perhaps this race should be upgraded from “Sleeper” to “One to Watch.” Kay Hagan 48% Elizabeth Dole 47%. One (sarcastic) caveat: Liddy Dole is a GREAT campaigner. Expect Hagan’s margin to widen as North Carolinians remember they sent Dole to Washington once before.

Whose side is he on? Jeff Merkley - Speaker of the Oregon House and architect of their new majority - is ready to take on Bush Republican Gordon Smith in November. And Gordon Smith is already preparing to take on Jeff Merkley. In a rare move, Sen. Smith is running negative ads against Merkley before the Democratic primary has played itself out. Some argue Smith’s trying to help Jeff’s opponent (who is losing to both Smith and Jeff pretty convincingly now). The Weekly Reid thinks he feels the weight of the Bush Republican water he’s been carrying for the last eight years.

Welcome to the Weekly Reid, a compilation of the highlights of the past week about Majority Leader as well as occasional messages and special information from Senator Reid himself. Look for it every Wednesday. 

Nevada First: Look! Up in the Sky! Pop quiz: You’re a United States Senator, faced with a bill that would upgrade airport infrastructure, improve oversight of the FAA and the airlines, modernize the air-traffic control system, and help the airlines lower the cost of their fuel. Do you a) co-sponsor it, b) offer an amendment to incorporate aspects of the Passenger Bill of Rights into the final bill or c) filibuster it.

If you chose a or b, then congratulations! You’re an honorary member of the Democratic caucus! Bush Republicans faced this choice this afternoon, as the vote on cloture for the FAA Modernization Bill came to the floor. For those of you keeping count at home, this is the 69th time in this Congress that Bush Republicans have donned their obstructionist hats and threatened a filibuster. They’re not even willing to DEBATE the bill or offer amendments - they just want to kill it. The Las Vegas airport - McCarran International - accommodates 4 million passengers a month. In about 3 years, it’ll reach full capacity. What will Vegas do with all those empty hotel rooms? This bill would invest in the future of all airports and air travel (read: tourism). If he were still around, Howard Hughes - everyone’s favorite rich recluse aviator - would probably just build another one for Nevada

Maybe If They Served Peanuts. Here’s something about airports that isn’t controversial. Senator Reid joined forces with Senator Ensign and Congressman Heller in  announcing funding for Reno-Tahoe airport. The 7 million dollars - split over two separate grants - will help reduce the noise level from the increase in air traffic coming into the airport. Said Senator Reid: “Reducing noise levels around the Reno-Tahoe Airport is an important quality of life issue for people residing in nearby neighborhoods. I’m happy we’re able to bring the money we need back home to Nevada for this important work.”

Must Reid: Mission…still not accomplished. Half a decade. That’s how long it’s been since President Bush declared “Mission Accomplished.” Of the more than 4,000 heroic Americans who’ve died in this war, 97% have given their life since President Bush’s photo-op on the USS Abraham Lincoln. And if President Bush had not so recklessly vetoed a bill passed by both houses of Congress and supported by the vast majority of the American people, every one of our combat troops would be well on their way home. We’re spending $5,000 a second in Iraq. $5,000 a second. How much do you think that banner cost the American taxpayer?

Money in the bank. The Weekly Reid got its economic stimulus check last week - while on vacation in Las Vegas (no, the $600 was not put on red). Keep an eye on your mailbox! They’re being mailed out to you based on the last two numbers of your social security number.

Reid’s Watching: Thank God For TiVo. Jon Stewart hosted Senator Reid last night - watch the video here. And listen to his talk with Steve Inskeep from NPR’s Morning Edition here. Still haven’t read the book? Order it from Amazon.com now - it’s cheaper than in the bookstore, and your online purchase will help us move up the list of non-fiction bestsellers! Don't forget - all proceeds will be donated to charity!