'Most Mysterious Man in Washington' Is ... Harry Reid?

If your image of Harry Reid is that of a dull Washington politician, a new Esquire profile is worth a read. Mark Warren makes the case that Reid is, in fact, "the most mysterious man in Washington." The Senate majority leader is a walking paradox—"an upright Mormon who defends Sin City like a hawk" and who inspires fierce loyalty from a cadre of friends who go back to his high school days. Reid has a streak of "defiance" in him, perhaps born around age 14, when he finally got big enough to keep his drunken father from beating his mom.

Other tidbits:

• "Back in the Vegas of the sixties and seventies, Reid was a hotshot lawyer, known often for being the lawyer of last resort." He'd "defend people down on their luck, or people he felt were wrongly accused, prostitutes and showgirls." Often, they'd be unable to pay.
• His 2010 race against Sharron Angle was "not even close to being the most important election of his life," writes Warren. "That was the election his junior year in high school, when he made treasurer. The effect was profound on a nobody from nowhere: He felt a moment of regard from people for the very first time."

Click here for the full profile.
(More Harry Reid stories.)