Ouch! Whatever broke must have broken in a rather spectacular way! Either that, or it's a cover story for being roughed up by thugs. Whichever it is, it sounds like Reid will be ready to take on the new role of Senate Minority Leader with a grimace and a wince next week.

Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) has been discharged from a Las Vegas hospital after suffering injuries in an exercise-related accident.

Reid's office said in a statement Friday that the outgoing majority leader was exercising at his home in suburban Las Vegas when a piece of exercise equipment broke, "causing him to fall and break a number of ribs and bones in his face."

The statement said that his doctors expect Reid will make a full recovery. Aides say he plans to return to Washington this weekend and be at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday when the new congressional session begins.

Reid, 75, was treated at the University Medical Center in Las Vegas and kept overnight as a precaution, the statement said.