Harry Reid to Sen. Roy Blunt: You didn’t return my calls! | McClatchy Washington Bureau

It turns out Harry Reid is a sensitive soul.

The Senate minority leader, a Democrat from Nevada, is insulted that Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican, isn’t returning his phone calls.

In a short but vicious letter to Blunt obtained by McClatchy, Reid lectures Blunt on what it means “to be a gentleman” and says he should be embarrassed not to call another senator back.

“To say I have been disappointed in you is a gross understatement,” Reid wrote. “I am stunned at your lack of collegiality.”

A spokesman for Blunt, Brian Hart, said Reid “forgot what collegiality means a while ago.”

The snit between veteran lawmakers may seem trivial, but it reveals the personal vitriol and grudge-holding behind partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill — especially in the throes of an election year.

Blunt is in a close race for re-election against Democratic challenger Jason Kander. Control of the Senate is at stake, and the Missouri contest is one of a handful of key races that Democrats need to win if they hope to wrest power from Republicans.

Reid sent the letter last Tuesday to express his anger over what he sees as Blunt’s refusal to hold a nomination hearing for Kate Marshall, a former federal prosecutor and state treasurer from Nevada. President Barack Obama appointed her to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission in May.

Reid had asked Obama nearly a year ago to consider Marshall for a position on the panel, which is responsible for adopting guidelines for voting systems across the country.

Reid accuses Blunt of blocking Marshall’s nomination out of vindictiveness toward Reid. As chairman of the Senate’s rules committee, Blunt controls the hearing schedule.

Blunt argues that Marshall’s nomination was made late in the process and doesn’t appear to meet the statutory requirement for the position.

Hart, Blunt’s spokesman, said the minority leader had called Blunt only twice before shooting off the irate note.

After receiving the letter, Blunt spoke to Reid in person, Hart said.

“I am not at all surprised that the minority leader sent an obnoxious and misleading letter to Sen. Blunt and then promptly shared that with reporters,” Hart said in an email to McClatchy. “This perfectly exemplifies the constant partisanship that Sen. Reid has been slinging for a long time.”

He added: “We wish him all the best in retirement.”

Reid is set to retire at the end of the year.