As George W. Bush has learned, Harry Reid [of Nevada, the Senate Minority Leader] does not ignore slights. “I believe in vengeance,” he once told a reporter. In May, he began a commencement address at George Washington University Law School by saying that the last time he had set foot on the campus was January, 1964 — the year he graduated from the school. “I’ve been holding a grudge,” he said.

Law school was difficult. “We managed to get by, but just barely,” he said.

At one point, while Landra was pregnant with their second child and he was working six days a week as a Capitol police officer, the transmission of their car, a 1954 Buick Special, broke down. He was desperate. “No car,” he continued. "No way to get to work. Too many bills." When he approached a dean for help, he recalled, the dean said, "‘Why don’t you just quit law school?’ I don’t remember exactly what I thought he would say, but that was not it,” he said. "Since that day, I’ve harbored ill will toward this school."

Reid told the graduates that he regretted his pettiness, but it’s fair to say that payback has been a factor in his career.