David Broder has never been a big fan of Harry Reid.

And the Senate’s top Democrat let it be known on the floor Saturday that the feeling was mutual. Reid described the 80-year-old Washington Post columnist as “a man who has been retired for many years and writes a column once in a while.” Concentrating on his analysis of congressional health care legislation as costly and “budget-busting,” Reid said, is “not where we should be.”

“I hope he’s more accurate about the bill than he is about me,” Broder told POLITICO in response to Reid’s jab. “And I’m not retired.”

The fact that Reid was so annoyed by Broder’s column shows if anything that “the Dean,” as he is sometimes known, remains a continuing influence in Washington, revered by his peers for his hard work and reporting instincts and by moderates as a voice of sanity even as he has come to symbolize conventional wisdom to critics on the left.

Although Broder accepted a buyout last year from the Post, he’s continued writing a twice-weekly column for the paper on a contract basis. Broder’s column is also syndicated in 265 newspapers through the Washington Post Writers Group, including two in Reid’s home state: the Las Vegas Sun and Reno Gazette-Journal.

In an age of ideological divisions, Broder is widely known as a fair arbiter on Capitol Hill, a journalist who’s as interested in the process as he is in the policy and politics. He favors pragmatists over fierce ideologues and speaks up for decorum in Washington politics. Liberal bloggers and critics such as New York Times columnist Frank Rich, who has made Broder a running target in his column, say he personifies inside-the-Beltway myopia.

Broder, who’s been writing for the Post since the 1960s, said he had great respect for some past Senate leaders, such as Mike Mansfield and Howard Baker. In more recent years, he pointed out that Bob Dole, George Mitchell and Tom Daschle — when at their bests — would rise above partisan issues to reach a consensus on significant legislation.

For civil rights, Broder pointed out that Senate leaders like Lyndon Johnson and Mike Mansfield pushed for “something the country needed addressed,” rather than a specific state or region.

“Maybe I have an idealized view of what a Senate leader ought to be,” Broder said. “But I’ve seen the Senate when a leader could lift it to those heights.”

"I think the Senate has, through different periods, had wonderful leadership,” Broder added. “I wish it had that kind of leadership now.”

Reid is the kind of politician Broder has very little use for, and he doesn’t bother to hide it. “I have been tough on Reid,” Broder said. “There’s no question about that.”

In Broder’s opinion, the Senate should be acting on major issues — such as health care or immigration reform — with the national interest in mind, rather than putting partisan politics or one’s own state ahead of what’s best for the country.

“I’ve been very disappointed by what I’d call the parochialism of Sen. Reid’s approach to his job and his responsibilities,” Broder said.

It’s not so much Reid’s politics Broder objects to as the way Reid views his role as Senate Democratic leader. Before Reid even got the job, when Democrats were still in the minority, Broder wrote that Reid “may not be up to the challenge” of leading the majority.

Broder once slammed Reid for the Democrats’ legislative platform, calling it “as meager as it was unimaginative,” while slapping him on the wrist in 2006 for delivering a “rhetorical low blow” against former President George W. Bush.

Most notably in 2007, he compared the leader to embattled former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, writing that “the Democrats deserve better, and the country needs more, than Harry Reid has offered as Senate majority leader.”

The next day, the entire Senate Democratic Caucus defended Reid as “an extraordinary leader” in a letter published in the Post. Broder said the letter, on display in his office, is one of his “prized possessions.”

As Reid’s comments suggested, Broder’s criticism has clearly gotten under the Nevadan’s skin. But according to one Democratic leadership aide, Reid does not spend much time considering Broder’s critiques, adding that  the columnist’s beef with the senator is borne from a disconnect from the challenges of governing.

Lee Hamilton, the former congressman and longtime Washington fixture, said he’s known both men for many years. Broder, he said, does not occupy the position he once did at the Post but is still a well-respected voice among power brokers in town. Reid, Hamilton added, “often expresses himself quite candidly.”

“I think very highly of David Broder,” Hamilton said. “I think he’s a straight journalist of a very high order.”

Eugene Robinson, a friend and colleague of Broder's on the Washington Post’s opinion page, said he considered Reid’s comment to be “a nasty swipe.”

“I may or may not agree with David on this particular issue, but I certainly think Harry Reid was out of line in what was a gratuitous insult of a columnist and reporter who still works amazingly hard, knows everybody, always makes the extra phone call, not to mention the extra 10 phone calls.

Those who’ve seen plenty of partisan mud-slinging on Capitol Hill — from politicians and pundits alike — give high marks to the veteran columnist as someone who doesn’t shoot from the hip ideologically.

Tony Blankley, now an executive vice president at Edelman, said that while working as press secretary for Newt Gingrich when he was in leadership in the 1990s, he found Broder to be “impeccably fair” and “a man of very temperate disposition.”

Blankley said he’d “be surprised if you could find any half-serious person on the Hill, press secretary or congressman, who could honestly complain about Broder's taking cheap shots.

Broder, in Blankley’s opinion, has advocated for a “sense of decorum in town,” has a deep interest in process — how decisions are made in the halls of Congress — and has never been one for knee-jerk judgments, whether liberal or conservative. “My sense is that he finds lurching ideological expressions to be unappealing on either side,” Blankley said.

“Time after time,” Broder said, “I’ve seen Reid take a narrow, partisan and parochial view of what the Senate can be.”

Broder said he had a conversation with Reid after the “Democrats’ Gonzales” piece a couple of years ago, but has not had a conversation since. In the past five years, Broder hasn’t asked Reid to meet once, a Democratic leadership aide said.

Given Broder’s criticism of how Reid runs the Senate, it’s unlikely that a sit-down would help.

Here is a list of expected attendees at President Barack Obama's first state dinner, for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as released by the White House:

The President & First Lady Michelle Obama

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister, India & Ms. Gursharan Kaur

The Honorable (Rep) Gary Ackerman, United States Representative
Mr. Sant Singh Chatwal (Guest)

His Excellency Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Mukesh D Ambani

Mr. Tim Dutta (Spouse of Ms. Pia Awal)

The Honorable (Mr.) David Axelrod, White House Communications
Mrs. Susan Axelrod

Ms. Preeta Bansal, OMB - General Counsel

The Honorable (Ms.) Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
Mr. Marland E. Buckner

The Honorable (Rep.) Howard Berman, United States Representative (D/California)
Mrs. Jane Berman, Spouse of United States Representative (D/California)

Mr. Om Prakash Bhatt

Mr. Hunter Biden
Mrs. Kathleen Biden

The Honorable (Vice President) Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice President of the United States
Dr. Jill Biden

Mr. Robert O Blake, Jr., Assistant Sec for South and Central Asian Affairs, State Department
Mrs. Sofia Blake

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, New York, NY
Ms. Diana Taylor

The Honorable (Mr.) John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Deputy National Security Advisor for Counterterrorism, Homeland Security Council
Mrs. Katherine Brennan

The Honorable (Ms.) Lisa Brown, Office of Staff Secretary
Mr. Kevin Cullen

Mr. Donald Browne
Ms. Maria Junqera

The Honorable (Ms.) Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change
The Honorable (Mr.) Tom Downey

Mr. William Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Department of State
Ms. Lisa Carty

General James E Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Sandee Cartwright

The Honorable (Senator) Bob Casey, United States Senator (D/Pennsylvania)
Mrs. Terese Casey, United States Senate Spouse (D/Pennsylvania)

Mr. Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Mrs. Julie Chandrasekaran

Mr. I.S. Chaturvedi, Personal Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Senator Satveer Chaudhry, State Senator
Colonel Ravi Chaudhry (Guest)

Ms. Rohini Chopra

Mr. Deepak Chopra
Mrs. Rita Chopra

The Honorable (Secretary) Steven Chu, Secretary of the Department of Energy
Mrs. Jean Chu

The Honorable (Secretary) Hillary R. Clinton, Secretary of State

The Honorable (Rep.) James E. Clyburn, United States Representative (D/South Carolina)
Mrs. Emily Clyburn

The Honorable (Senator) Kent Conrad, United States Senator (D/North Dakota)
Ms. Lucy Calutti, United States Senate Spouse (D/North Dakota)

Mr. David Cote

Ms. Katie Couric
Mr. Brooks L Perlin

Mr. Greg Craig, Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
Mrs. Margaret D Craig

Mrs. Paula Crown
Mr. Jim Crown

The Honorable (Rep.) Elijah Cummings, United States Representative (D/Maryland)
Mrs. Maya Rockeymoore

Senator Swati Dandekar, State Senator
Mr. Arvind Dandekar

Mr. Rajesh De, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice

Nancy Ann DeParle, Office of Health Reform
Mr. Jason P DeParle

Ms. Bhairavi Desai
Javaid Tariq

Dr. Vishakha N. Desai
Robert Oxman

The Honorable (Senator) Chris Dodd, United States Senator (D/Connecticut)
Mrs. Jackie Clegg Dodd

Mr. John Doerr

The Honorable (Mr.) Thomas Donilon, Assistant to the President, Deputy National Security Advisor, NSC
Ms. Cathy Russell

The Honorable Anita Dunn, White House Communications Director
Mr. Bob Bauer

Mr. Ari Emanuel
Mrs. Sarah Emanuel

The Honorable (Mr.) Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff to the President
Ms. Amy Rule

The Honorable (Mr.) Jon Favreau, Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting

Ms. Sarah Feinberg, Office of the Chief of Staff

The Honorable (Mayor) Adrian Fenty, Mayor of the District of Columbia
Mrs. Michelle Fenty

Ms. Michelle Flournoy

Mr. Thomas Friedman
Mrs. Ann Friedman

The Honorable (Mr.) Mike Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs, NSC

Dr. Ashok S Ganguly

The Honorable (Mr.) Patrick Gaspard, Office of Political Affairs
Mrs. Raina Washington

The Honorable Robert Gates

Ms. Charlene Gaynor
Mr. Richard Heiss

Mr. David Geffen
Mr. Jeremy Lingvall

The Honorable (Secretary) Timothy F. Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury
Ms. Carole Sonnenfeld

The Honorable (Mr.) Robert Gibbs, White House Press Secretary

Mr. Anish Goel, Acting Senior Director, South Asia Affairs, NSC

Mr. Senapathy Gopalakrishnan

Mr. Mark Gorenberg
Ms. Wendy Wanderman

Mr. John Gorman
Mrs. Tamra Gorman

Representative Jay Goyal, State Representative
Kiran Goyal

Representative Raj Goyle, State Representative
Mrs. Monica Arora

The Honorable (Governor) Jennifer Granholm, Governor of Michigan (D)
Mr. Daniel Mulhern, First Gentleman of Michigan

Mr. Earl G. Graves
Mrs. Barbara Graves

Ms. Geeta Rao Gupta
Mr. Arvind Gupta

Mr. Raj Gupta

Mr. Rajat Gupta
Mrs. Anita M Gupta

Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Mrs. Rebecca Olson Gupta

Mr. Lee Hamilton
Mrs. Nancy Hamilton

The Honorable (Ms.) Kamala Harris
Ms. Maya Harris

Mr. Kamil Hassan
Mrs. Talat Hassan

Mr. George Haywood
Mrs. Cheryl J Haywood

The Honorable Fred Hochberg, Export-Import Bank
Thomas P Healy

The Honorable (Rep.) Paul Hodes, United States Representative (D/New Hampshire)
Mrs. Margaret Hodes

The Honorable (Attorney General) Eric Holder, United States Attorney General, Department of Justice
Dr. Sharon Malone, MD

Dr. John P. Holdren
Dr. Cheryl E Holdren

The Honorable (Rep.) Eleanor Holmes-Norton, United States of Representative (D/DC)
Mr. John Norton

Mr. Robert D Hormats, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Agricultural Affairs, State Department
Ms. Camille Massey

The Honorable (Rep) Steny Hoyer, United States Representative (D/Maryland)
Ms. Kathleen May

Mr. Chris Hughes
Mr. Sean S Eldridge

Mr. Jeff Immelt

The Honorable (Senator) Daniel Inouye, United States Senator (D/Hawaii)
Ms. Irene Hirano, United States Senate Spouse (D/Hawaii)

Mrs. Deepa Iyer
Mr. Parag Khandhar
Mr. Vasudeva Iyer

The Honorable (Administrator) Lisa Jackson, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Mr. Kenneth Jackson

The Honorable (Ms.) Valerie Jarrett, Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor

The Honorable (Governor) Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana
Mrs. Supriya Jindal, First Lady of Louisiana

The Honorable (General) James Jones, Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor
Mrs. Diane Jones

Mrs. Ann Jordan
Mr. Vernon Jordan

Mr. Anil Kakani

Mr. Farooq Kathwari
Mrs. Farida Kathwari

Mr. Neal Katyal, Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Office of the Solicitor General

Mr. Jeffrey Katzenberg
Mrs. Marilyn Katzenberg

Ms. Maneesha Kelkar, Manavi
Vinay Vaishampayan

The Honorable (Senator) John Kerry, United States Senator (D/Massachusetts)

Dr. Harish Khare, Media Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, Indian Delegation

The Honorable (Mr.) Bradley Kiley, Office of Management and Administration
Mr. James Coley, Jr.

Ms. Gayle King

The Honorable (Ambassador) Ron Kirk, USTR
Mrs. Matrice Ellis-Kirk

The Honorable (Mr.) Ronald Klain, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Office of the Vice President

Mrs. Chanda D Kochhar

His Excellency S.M. Krishna, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Ms. Gaitri Kumar, Joint Secretary (Americas), Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Vivek Kundra

Mrs. Jhumpa Lahiri
Mr. Alberto Vourvoulias

Mr. Marc Lasry
Cathy Lasry

Mr. Jacob Lew, Deputy Secretary, Department of State

The Honorable Gary Locke, Secretary of Commerce
Mrs. Mona Locke

The Honorable (Mr.) Christopher Lu, Cabinet Affairs
Ms. Kathryn Thomson

The Honorable (Senator) Richard Lugar, United States Senator (R/Indiana)
Mrs. Char Lugar, United States Senate Spouse (R/Indiana)

Mr. Michael Lynton
Ms. Elizabeth Jamie Alter

Mr. Surinder Malhotra

The Honorable (Chief of Protocol) Capricia Marshall

The Honorable (Ms.) Alyssa Mastromonaco, White House Office of Scheduling

Mr. Brian Mathis
Mrs. Tracey Kemble

Ms. Kiran Mazumda-Shaw

The Honorable (Senator) Claire McCaskill, United States Senator (D/Missouri)
Mr. Joseph Shepard, United States Senate Spouse

The Honorable (Rep) Jim McDermott, United States Representative (D/Washington)
Mrs. Therese Marie Hansen

Mr. Zarin Mehta
Ms. Carmen Lasky

The Honorable (Mr.) Jim Messina, Office of Chief of Staff

Mr. Judd Miner
Mrs. Linda Miner

Mr. Newt Minow
Mrs. Josephine Minow

Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal

Kalpen Modi, Associate Director, Office of Public Engagement

Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mrs. Deborah Mullen

The Honorable (Secretary) Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Department of Homeland Security

His Excellency M.K. Narayanan, National Security Adviser of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Shantanu Narayen
Mrs. Reni Narayen

Mr. Raju Narisetti
Durga Raghunath

Mr. Martin Nesbitt
Ms. Anita Blanchard

Mr. Konrad Ng
Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng

Ms. Indra Nooyi

The Honorable (Rep) David Obey, United States Representative (D/Wisconsin)
Mrs. Joan Obey

The Honorable (Mr.) Peter Orszag, Director, Office of Management & Budget

Mr. Jim Owens
Ms. Katie Owens

Mr. Deepak Parekh

Mr. Eboo Patel
Ms. Shehnez Mansuri

The Honorable (Governor) Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts (D)
Mrs. Diane Patrick, First Lady of Massachusetts

The Honorable (Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, United States Representative (D/California) and Speaker of the House
Mr. Paul Pelosi

Mr. Dan Pfeiffer, White House Office of Communications

Mr. Sam Pitroda
Mrs. Anjana Pitroda

General Colin Powell
Ms. Alma Powell

Dr. Rachakonda D Prabhu
Dr. Lata Shete Prabhu

Mrs. Penny Pritzker
Dr. Brian Traubert

Ms. Kavita Ramdas

Her Excellency Nirupama Rao, Foreign Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Ms. Preetha Reddy

The Honorable (Governor) Edward Rendell, Governor of Pennsylvania (D)
The Honorable (Judge) Marjorie Rendell, First Lady of Pennsylvania

Mr. Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting

The Honorable (Ambassador) Susan Rice, United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Mr. Ian Cameron

The Honorable (Governor) Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico (D)
Mrs. Barbara Richardson, First Lady of New Mexico

Ms. Robin Roberts

Mrs. Marian Robinson

Ambassador Timothy Roemer, US Ambassador to India
Mrs. Mary Johnston

Ms. Desiree Rogers, Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary

Mr. John Rogers

The Honorable (Dr.) Christina Romer, Chair, Council of Economic Advisers

Mr. Dennis Ross, NSC

The Honorable (Rep) Edward Randall Royce, United States Representative
Marie Therese Royce

Mr. Michael Sacks
Mrs. Cari Sacks

The Honorable (Rep.) Linda Sanchez, United States Representative (D/California)
Mr. James Sullivan, Guest of Then Honorable Linda Sanchez

Mr. Pankaj Saran, Joint Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

His Excellency Shyam Saran, Special Envoy to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Indian Delegation

Mr. Jaideep Sarkar, Personal Secretary to the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Parag Saxena

The Honorable (Rep.) Jan Schakowsky, United States Representative (D/Illinois)
Mr. Robert Creamer

The Honorable (Mr.) Phil Schiliro, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs
Mrs. Jody Schiliro

Ms. Annetta Seecharran
Seema Agnani

Mr. Stuart Seldowitz, Acting Director for South Asia, NSC

Dr. Amartya Sen
Ms. Emma Georgina Rothschild

Under Secretary Rajiv J Shah, Under Secretary for Research, Education & Economics, Department of Agriculture

The Honorable Sonal Shah, Deputy Assist to the President, Director Office of SICP, Domestic Policy Council

Mr. Vinod Shah

Her Excellency Meera SHANKAR, Ambassador, India

The Honorable Susan Sher, Assistant to the President/Chief of Staff to the First Lady
The Honorable (Mr.) Neil Cohen

Mr. M. Night Shyamalan
Mrs. Bhavna Shyamalan

Ms. Amrit Singh
Mr. Analjit Singh

Mr. Arun K. Singh, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Republic of India, Indian Delegation

Mr. Balvinder Singh
Mr. Mohinder Singh

Mr. Lakhwinder Singh
Mrs. Sukhbir Kaur

Ms. Upinder Singh

Mr. Steven Spielberg

Mr. Sri Srinivasan
Ms. Carla Garrett

Ms. Srinija Srinivasan

The Honorable (Mr.) Jim Steinberg, Deputy Secretary of State
Ms. Sherburne Bradstreet

Mrs. Semonti Stephens, Deputy Press Secretary, Office of the First Lady

Mr. Andy Stern
Ms. Anna Burger

Mrs. Jane Stetson
Mr. Bill Stetson

Honorable (Dr.) Larry Summers, Director, National Economic Council
Dr. Elisa New

The Honorable (Ms.) Mona Sutphen, Office of Chief of Staff
Mr. Clyde Williams

Mr. Ratan Tata

The Honorable (Ms.) Tina Tchen, Office of Public Liaison

Ambassador Vinai Thummalapally, Ambassador, Embassy of Belize
Mrs. Barbara Thummalapally

Mr. Jim Torrey
Ms. Rose P Lynch

Mr. Richard Trumka
Mr. Paul H Lemmon

Ms. Urvashi Vaid
Ms. Kate Clinton

Mr. Kirk Wagar
Ms. Crystal Connor

Dr. Eric E. Whitaker
Dr. Cheryl Whitaker

Mr. Brian Williams
Mrs. Jane Williams

Mr. Wellington Wilson
Mrs. Wilson

Mr. Neal Wolin, Deputy Secretary, Department of Treasury

Ms. Alfre Woodard
Mr. Blair E Underwood

Mr. Fareed Zakaria
Ms. Paula Throckmorton Zakaria

A president’s first Thanksgiving Day proclamation is an opportunity for the commander in chief to highlight his new administration’s accomplishments or reassure the nation at a time of gratitude and family togetherness.

But President Obama’s Turkey Day bulletin Monday went in a different direction.
Obama’s declaration is short — just over 400 words — and gives no specific examples of things that Americans should rejoice in or recover from, despite his eventful first year in office.

Obama instead returned to tried-and-true themes that powered his campaign and inaugural: community organization and service.

“As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand,” Obama wrote. “This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our nation throughout the year.

In the past, first-term presidents have used the proclamation to celebrate their achievements. President George W. Bush’s first letter came just two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, and he cited progress in the war on terror. John F. Kennedy’s mentioned his campaign against hunger through the United Nations' Freedom From Hunger Campaign. President Bill Clinton talked up presidential peace efforts in the Middle East.

The proclamation is usually written as an open letter to the American people and is often run in small-town newspapers around the country, said University of Houston professor Brandon Rottinghaus, who studies presidential proclamations.

He was struck by how brief Obama’s address was, given the times over which he is presiding, with the economic anxiety at home and the looming Afghanistan decision overseas.

“He is very vague,” Rottinghaus said. “Other presidents serving during economic difficulty or national disasters try to focus on the positive and purposely list things to be thankful for; Obama doesn’t do that either.”

Call it a sign of the political times, White House communication experts said. Obama’s every word is scrutinized on the left and right, so the White House seems to have decided to tread lightly.

“I would say this proclamation is appropriate given where the country is,” said former Clinton White House spokeswoman Karen Finney. “It’s a good thing for the president to call on us in our own way to be thankful. A lot of people are going back to basics — eating in, game night — it’s appropriate given our reality.”

Past presidents have highlighted administration mishaps in proclamations, even if it could cost them some political momentum.

In every year of his term, Lyndon B. Johnson’s proclamation talked in depth about the war in Vietnam, despite heavy criticism from Congress about his conduct of the war.

“Our reasons for gratitude are almost without number,” he wrote, but added: “We are engaged in a painful conflict in Asia, which was not of our choosing and in which we are involved in fidelity to a scared promise to help a nation which has been the victim of aggression.”

Gerald Ford noted in his 1974 address that the country was facing “serious problems and massive challenges,” alluding to the nation’s skyrocketing inflation rates. And Bush fully acknowledged that the nation was facing “great adversity” in the war on terror.

One tradition Obama didn’t miss: Honoring the troops, just days before he announces his Afghanistan strategy. “We pay tribute to our country’s men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all,” Obama wrote.