Harry Reid has created a huge mess for himself. With tremendous fanfare he announced that no Blagojevich appointee would ever be seated in the United States Senate. Undoubtedly Majority Leader Reid was trying to force Illinois to hold a special election instead of allowing Governor Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder, show he still was relevant as the state’s ranking official.

Then Blagojevich appointed Roland Burris, the former African-American attorney general, to the post.

Drama quickly abounded when senate Republicans and prominent Black Leaders locked arms saying Burris should be appointed as he was an honorable man well separately from the gubernatorial controversy. Senate democrats appeared as the lead story when they blocked entrance to the senate chambers to only black that will sit in Senate Chambers for the 111th Congress.

Defeated in popular opinion and the media, Reid has had to scurry to find a way out and try to put this issue in the past. He has now settled on letting the Illinois Supreme Court decide if Burris was properly appointed in spite of universal acknowledgement the appointment is lawful and Burris meets senate requirements.

Business leaders often find themselves in a similar situation. What Reid did wrong was make a decision based on a single symptom of an ill. He stated a position without thought to what the Illinois Governor’s ultimate action would or could be. By not considering all potential outcomes, he created a chasm that quickly engulfed him and tarnished his role.

He also missed the headlines that were suppressed by this bigger story. Across the nation it was unnoticed that Reid’s party had an almost invincible hold on the senate and Chicago papers and broadcasters no longer aired stories about the troubled governor.

Before you state a position, be sure to think it through completely, considering all potential responses and outcomes.