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!