Being Joe Lieberman

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

by Joan Vennochi

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0706-28.htm

<snip>

Lieberman's primary fight against millionaire businessman Ned Lamont illustrates the schism in the Democratic Party over Iraq. Lamont's campaign is fueled and financed by the antiwar left. His website salutes US Representative John Murtha of Pennsylvania and the proposition that ``stay the course is not a winning strategy." Lieberman supports Bush administration policy regarding Iraq and insists the war is still necessary and justified. But war is not the only issue on the primary ballot, even though Lieberman prefers to paint it that way. This isn't simply ``Profiles in Courage," starring Joe Lieberman. It is ``Profiles in Lieberman," starring a politician who irritated his party via sanctimony and loyalty to self, and must live with the political consequences. Al Gore, his running mate in 2000, is declining to endorse him in the primary and Senator Hillary Clinton of New York said she will not back Lieberman if he loses their party primary.

Lieberman was the first prominent Democrat to chastise Bill Clinton for his Oval Office escapades with Monica Lewinsky. In 1998, he called Clinton's actions ``immoral" and ``inappropriate" and railed against the president for ``willfully deceiving the nation about his conduct." At the time, he took the public praise for taking on a president of his own party; now Lieberman has to accept the latent party ill-will. It would also be nice to hear him express some similar moral outrage over the Bush administration's deceptions involving the case for war.

Lieberman further irritated fellow Democrats in 2000 when he was the vice presidential nominee, but refused to end his US Senate campaign. If the Gore-Lieberman ticket had prevailed, Connecticut's Republican governor could have appointed a Republican to replace Lieberman in the US Senate. After the 2000 defeat, Lieberman criticized Gore's populist presidential campaign and Gore returned the favor by backing Howard Dean's presidential bid without informing Lieberman, who was making his own unsuccessful presidential primary run in 2004.

In short, Lieberman has been thinking about Lieberman. So, he can't be shocked if other Democrats are thinking of themselves first, just as he does...

[CTyankee]

1. A disturbing thing about Lieberman, seen in last night's debate,

is his telling of big lies, a la Bush and his minions. He sure has learned something in his 18 years in Washington.

Last night he really outdid himself with lies, distortions and mean spirited attacks. One of the most egregious: taking credit for saving the sub base. It's a slap in the face to the others who worked on that: Rep. Rob Simmons and Chris Dodd and notably, Jimmy Carter who wrote to the base closing commission in favor of Groton and against his own state's interest in having the sub base there. Outside of CT, this might not be noticed but there are plenty of Dems here who did. And it makes us mad all over again.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

2. He helps the GOP cloud the...

...the distinction between Dems and Rethugs, and that's something we don't need.