Comedy gold from the unerring political instinct that brought us a Congressional approval rating lower than Bush’s. Behold, the ultimate Kinsleyan gaffe:

“My staff tells me not to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway,” said Reid in his remarks. “In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it’s true.”

But it’s no longer going to be true, noted Reid, thanks to the air conditioned, indoor space.

The “space” referred to is the new Capitol Visitors Center, paid for by those same sweaty, reeking tourists. I know we have Hill staffers among our readers; tell the truth, is it really this bad? I don’t want to beat up on a guy forced to plot amnesty and precipitous withdrawal from Iraq amid a haze of what smells like dead wombats.

Exit question: What did the Senate chamber smell like before A/C?

Update: Breitbart’s got the clip.

Update: Ed e-mails to remind me that this is a chronic complaint for Dingy. Remember?

Mr. President, someone wanting to visit the Capitol today, there is no place for them to gather. They gather -it used to be out on the East Front – now they gather on the West Front. And the people who work here joke about you can always tell when it’s summertime because you can smell the visitors. And what we mean by that Mr. President – they stand out there in the high humidity, heat, sweating, and it’s really – there’s no place for them to go. The bathrooms in this facility are almost nonexistent. There is one on this side, one on the other side, both very small.