White House Backs Reid’s ‘Nuclear’ Approach

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney
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The White House tepidly endorsed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (R-NV) decision to go a bit nuclear Thursday night and change a Senate rule in order to allow passage of the widely popular China currency manipulation bill… and prevent a potentially embarrassing vote on the President’s jobs bill.

“Well, I don’t know the particulars or the arcane details [of Senate parliamentary procedure],” Carney said. “But I can say, yes, we think it’s generally a problem that the filibuster has become a tool that is applied so broadly to measures that normally require just a majority vote.”

Fox News’ Ed Henry then asked whether President Obama and the White House would still support the rules change if Republicans regain control of the chamber next November and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) becomes majority leader.

“We don’t foresee that happening,” Carney said with a smirk. “We don’t foresee a change in leadership in the Senate.”

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