The Sen. Joesph Biden Memorial "Condescending Asshat of the Week" Award...

...this week goes to Sen. Harry Reid, for the following statement, quoted in the NYT, regarding the hard-fought confirmation of Justice Priscilla R. Owen to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit:

"I hope she surprises those of us who have fought her nomination," Mr. Reid went on. "Perhaps her experience as a judicial nominee has exposed her to a broader range of views, and that experience may make her more sensitive to concerns regarding privacy, civil rights and consumer rights."

Congratulations, asshat!

The award was established in January 2005, when Sen. Biden embraced Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice after her confirmation hearing...

"When we hugged, I whispered in her ear, 'I'm telling you, Condi, don't listen to them,' " Biden says. "She looked at me. I said, ' Rumsfeld and Cheney. You gotta be tough.' "*

Good thing she has you around to giver her advice, Joe. Lord knows how she made it through Stanford and her tenure as National Security Advisor without your help. Asshat.