Words fail me. No, really. Via the invaluable McClatchy, Harry Reid on Roland Burris:

"He presents himself very well. He's very proud of his family, got two Ph.D.s and two law degrees. And he talked about how proud he was of everyone having those degrees."

Look, maybe I've just gone tone-deaf. Maybe I've read one too many newspapers, posted one too many times. Maybe it's time to change the meme-ic furnace filters, 'cause they're clogged. And God knows I've been smeared enough, and (I hope and believe) falsely.

But.

Look, isn't there one word missing from Harry's panegyric?

Like, "articulate"?

Anyhow, we've got subject matter experts on the blog who'll tell me I'm wrong.

NOTE And, of course, "clean". Arthur's on the case. We'd better take it on the lam.

UPDATE This, too:

Still, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., said he was impressed by the way Burris conducted himself Tuesday.

"He didn't demand anything," Nelson said. "So far, so good."

Yep. Demanding is always bad.