Joe Lieberman, warmongering centrist (Glenn Greenwald)

[laststeamtrain]

Joe Lieberman, warmongering centrist
The risk of a war with Iran is real, substantial and imminent.

Glenn Greenwald

Jun. 10, 2007 | (updated below - updated again)

The consensus of pundits holds that Joe Lieberman is one of Washington's true centrists, a real independent, someone who eschews the extremes in favor of sensible, non-ideological solutions. As but one example that I coincidentally included in a recent post, Mike Allen, in the aftermath of Lieberman's defeat in the primary, warned in Time of the doom Democrats faced as a result of their "rejection of a sensible, moralistic centrist."

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The very idea of starting a new war with Iran is so obscenely irrational -- to say nothing of its morality -- that it is difficult to put into words. A vast consensus of military experts across the ideological spectrum have all been warning for several years that no viable option exists for the military glory which the great and serious Churchillian warrior, Joe Lieberman, seeks. Just fathom how quickly and how completely whatever lingering shreds of moral credibility America has left would disappear if we commenced a military attack on that country.

Joe Lieberman cares about none of that -- issues of American credibility and American security could not be any less important to Lieberman -- and the same is true for his fellow band of warmongering ideologues who have long been hungry for war with Iran as the next step in their grand vision that brought us the invasion of Iraq. Over the last year, they have been gradually increasing the explicitness with which they urge a war with Iran, and yet they are treated with as great a respect as ever.

In the American political framework, one can never lose credibility by urging on new wars. That is an inherently respectable position. Only opposing new wars, or the continuation of old ones, can result in a loss of credibility. Yet both the views and the underlying motives of warmongers like Lieberman are as radical -- and as deceitful and corrupt -- as can be.

In urging on Glorious War with Iran, Lieberman repeatedly mentioned Israel, including the fact that he had just returned from his latest visit there. In parading around all the various possible pretexts for this new war, Lieberman repeatedly highlighted all the threats which Iran poses to that country, which is a different nation than the U.S. That Israel is at the center of the growing calls for a new war with Iran can hardly be reasonably doubted.

<snip>

Those who believe that the tragic damage wrought on our country by this presidency can be contained and then gradually reversed can have no higher priority than preventing the war for which Joe Lieberman, Bill Kristol, Dick Cheney and company are so plainly yearning. What that strain of warmonger has demonstrated conclusively over the last several years is that they recognize no limits in implementing their full agenda. War with Iran has long been an integral part of that agenda, and anyone who believes that they will view the ongoing crisis in Iraq -- or anything else -- as impediments to this next step simply does not understand just how extremist they are.

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http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/06/10/lieberman/print.html

[AndyTiedye]

1. Nothing Centrist About It

The real centrist position is to get the feep out of Iraq, not expand the war into Iran!
ALL of the polls say so, and have said so for months.

[Phredicles]

2. Only if "Centrist" means "Strict adherent of right-wing received wisdom",

which, of course, is exactly what it means to the Broderites.:banghead:

[marmar]

3. Joe Lieberman is a big, steaming pile of sh*t.....

I really cannot stand that man.

[pokercat999]

4. Deputy Dog may be a citizen but he's Israeli through and

through. I think it's time for Joe to go home to Israel. It's my guess that Joe's first response to anything is to question how it effects Israel not the US.

In this case a war with Iran would be disastrous for both the US and Israel but it could serve to end a long term global problem.......the Imperialization (I know new word...lol) of the US Empire.

[Phredicles]

5. Not all Israelis think like Liebertoad;

As I like to say, the US and Israelis are confronted by a common menace: The neocons.