Reid's Way With Words: A History of the Majority Leader's Gaffes

April 19, 2007: Reid tells reporters that the Iraq war, as a military campaign, is lost and can only be won through diplomatic, political and economic means. "Now I believe, myself, that the secretary of state, the secretary of defense and you have to make your own decision as to what the president knows -- that this war is lost," Reid says, criticizing the troop surge as ineffective. President Obama ends combat operations in Iraq more than three years later. (FNC)

Dec. 2, 2008: Reid, going against his aides' better instincts, marks the long-delayed opening of the Capitol Visitor Center by describing its olfactory benefits. "My staff has always said, 'Don't say this,' but I'm going to say it again because it's so descriptive because it's true," he says. "In the summertime, because (of) the high humidity and how hot it gets here, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol." (Capitol Visitor Center)

Dec. 7, 2009: Reid, in a speech on the Senate floor, compares opponents of health care reform to supporters of slavery. "Instead of joining us on the right side of history, all the Republicans can come up with is, 'slow down, stop everything, let's start over.' If you think you've heard these same excuses before, you're right," Reid says. "When this country belatedly recognized the wrongs of slavery, there were those who dug in their heels and said 'slow down, it's too early, things aren't bad enough.'" (AP)

December 2009: Reid comes under fire after excerpts from the book "Game Change" are released in which Reid is quoted describing then-candidate Barack Obama in 2008 as "light-skinned" with "no Negro dialect" unless he wants one. The remark leads to calls from Republicans for his resignation, but Reid goes into damage control mode, calling Democratic senators and eventually apologizing. (AP)

March 5, 2010: Reid hails as good news a newly released labor report showing 36,000 jobs were lost in February. "Today is a big day in America. Only 36,000 people lost their jobs today, which is really good," he says. (AP)

Sept. 15, 2010: Reid tells The Hill that Delaware Democratic Senate candidate Chris Coons will coast to victory in the general election, but uses an unusual term to describe his affection. "I'm going to be very honest with you -- Chris Coons, everybody knows him in the Democratic caucus. He's my pet. He's my favorite candidate," he says. (AP)

Sept. 20, 2010: Reid reportedly includes Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on his own personal hot list. Speaking at a fundraiser, he calls the New York Democrat the Senate's "hottest member," according to an account in Politico.com. (AP)