Harry Reid is in a precarious position - nationally, his popularity is low, and his poll numbers in Nevada make it appear that he will not be re-elected to his Senate seat in November.
His tenure as Senate Majority Leader has been one of tremendous disappointment. He's had some moments to be proud of, and was better than Tom Daschle, to be sure, but Daschle was an utter disaster. Between Daschle and Reid, we have had two of the most ineffective and unpopular Senate Majority Leaders in half a century.
One of the best things that could happen would be for Senator Reid to wake up and smell the coffee. He's probably going to lose his seat in 2010, and he's not getting the job done for the Dems nationally.
He should plan to step down as Majority Leader, so that he can focus on trying to win re-election. He simply doesn't have time to run for re-election and hold on as Sen Maj Leader, a job that he isn't doing a great job at.
So the question, assuming that he will either leave the post or be forced out if he loses in November, would be this: whom would his ideal replacement be?
Two good choices would be Chuck Schumer and Carl Levin. A third might be Tom Harkin. These men all have the seniority and the respect of peers, and are true Democrats.
Any other suggestions?