I met him a few times, back when important people would meet THE BLOGGERS. I won't give some sort of full assessment of his time as Leader, but I think he did "teach" me about an important skill good politicians have, which is telling whoever is in the room with them what they want to hear. A very clever one manages to do it without being dishonest or even deceptive. When Reid was bullshitting a bit he'd do it with a wink so you knew he was. "I gotta say this, you know!" But even that, of course, was playing to the audience.
I honestly mean this as a compliment. Of course we all want BRAVE UNFLINCHING TRUTHTELLERS, or think we do, but that's not the road to success in many roles. A politician who is careful with his bullshit is actually showing some respect for his audience.
