Howard Dean Supports Senate's Lieberman Decision, Says It Was What Obama Wanted

[Hope And Change]

Howard Dean Supports Senate's Lieberman Decision, Says It Was What Obama Wanted

By Greg Sargent - November 18, 2008, 1:59PM

Howard Dean says that he's "fine" with the Senate's decision not to kick Joe Lieberman off the Homeland Security committee, because in his view it's what Barack Obama wanted.

In a phone interview with me just after the vote concluded, I asked Dean if he thought the Senate should keep Lieberman. He said that the Senate had acted "in the spirit of unification, which is what the President-elect wanted."

"He called the shots, and that's fine," Dean said.

Dean also cast efforts to remove Lieberman as "revenge," a description that will dismay many of Dean's allies in the liberal blogosphere, who maintain (as do I) that this wasn't solely about retribution.

"I think it's in every human being's heart to get revenge," Dean said, adding that the time had come to "swallow hard" and "put aside that kind of stuff."


http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/11/howard_dean_supports_senates_l.php#comments">Full article here

[wndycty]

1. DEAN IS A SELLOUT/HE IS NO TRUE PROGRESSIVE!

:sarcasm:

[Oceansaway]

2. pathetic, they cant even think for themselves...n/t

[FrenchieCat]

3. Swallowing is difficult when one is choking.

This is hard to take.

[ben_meyers]

4. Howard Dean is dead to me! Yeeehaaaaagh!

nt.

[JeffR]

5. The distinction between justice and revenge has all but vanished.

Sad to see the estimable Dr. Dean doesn't grasp the difference.

[cali]

8. I wanted revenge on Lieberman and if DUers had a shred of honesty

they'd admit they did too.

[JeffR]

10. Not saying I didn't and don't

but revenge isn't really the issue.

[wndycty]

11. I wanted revenge but I understand why I didn't get it. . .

. . .I'm defending the decision to keep Lieberman but I would have CELEBRATED the decision to get rid of him.

[firedupdem]

6. I don't do swallowing....can't do it...sorry! n/t

[WeDidIt]

7. No more DNC donations from me. n/t

[RiverStone]

9. Damn Howard --- your 50 state strategy rocked! But today, your being...

...ridiculous!!!

The folks that elected all those Senators don't want Joe. What's so hard about understanding that?

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. Seems like Damage Control is being done

rather quickly.

[HelenWheels]

13. Say it ain't so, Howard

This is the first time Howard has disappointed me.

[mountainvue]

14. Obviously some kind of deal has been cut with Lieberman.

They're crazy to trust him IMHO.

[EFerrari]

15. Howard Dean's job is to build the party. He's doing his job just as he always does.

[marylanddem]

16. Outrageous. Dean doesn't speak for me. Fuck him.

[MaineDem]

17. Total disappointment

It has nothing to do with revenge. It's all about loyalty. I am very disappointed in the Senate and Chairman Dean right now.

[Ichingcarpenter]

20. You know that this statement was done in conjunction

with all factions of party leadership, it came out too fast since we haven't heard
from Dean in weeks.

I'm thinking that something is really up behind the
scenes that we absolutely know nothing about. Lieberman and Dean
had bitter fights in the 2004 primary run. Fiefdoms are being
decided today, in the senate, in the party and within the executive branch.

[BeFree]

29. You got it

Something more than what we see is taking place, but what we do see here on DU is a lot of divisiveness, while the party officios are playing this as unity.

Lieberman obviously has a lot of power or he'd woulda been gone a long time ago.

As to the idea that Obama wanted Lieberman to remain in the HS chair, there is no proof of that, anywhere.

[midnight]

18. Joe Lieberman does not play by the rules, he sidesteps them....

If Barack Obama wants Joe to be part of HS and Dean isn't challenging Obama,I can't think why this is deans fight?

[Cha]

19. I love Dean and bummed I didn't wish him a Happy

Birthday YESTERDAY!

"I think it's in every human being's heart to get revenge," Dean said, adding that the time had come to "swallow hard" and "put aside that kind of stuff."

"It's pretty hard to run the country based on, `We're all working together,' if your first act is to strip someone who was your political enemy...of power," Dean said.

Asked if Lieberman should keep the chairmanship given his performance at the post, Dean replied that it was up to the Senate to evaluate the job Lieberman did. "The Senate will do what the Senate does," Dean said. "It's not my place to interfere."

"They asked Senator Obama's opinion and he gave it," Dean said.

Obama is serious about this and I'm thinking this is the reason more than anything..thanks, Dean.

[Larkspur]

21. Obama deserves every "knife" Lieberman stabbed in his back

and every "knife" Lieberman will stab him in the back in the future.

[Metric System]

24. Oh good grief.

[ClarkUSA]

37. Ned Lamont, Obama's CT Campaign Chair, would likely disagree with you...

He's biding his time until 2012. Until then, Lieberman serves a purpose.

[Larkspur]

38. It doesn't matter what Ned Lamont thinks

People get what they deserve and Obama getting knifed by Lieberman is what he deserved.

Glad I didn't donate to Obama's campaign.

[ClarkUSA]

39. Are you still a treasurer for your CT county's Dem party organization?

Just wondering.

[Larkspur]

40. I was never the treasurer

I am still the secretary of my DTC and quite a few members hate Lieberman as much as I do. CT does not have county level organizations.

[ClarkUSA]

42. What does DTC stand for?

Democratic Town Council? And you have a blog, right? I remember you had one, anyway.

BTW, I'm no fan of Lieberman, but like Obama and Dean, I am a pragmatist. And I'm looking
forward to supporting Ned Lamont in 2012 already. I hope Lamont starts organizing his
team earlier this time around. He'll need a lot of money.

[Larkspur]

43. DTC = Democratic Town Committee

I believe in justice and healing can not begin until justice is served. What the Senate Dems said is that there is at least a 2 tier system of rules/laws -- those for the plutocrats, like them, and those for us peasants.

[Larkspur]

22. As DNC Chair Howard Dean is not in a position to challenge Obama

Howard Dean did support the primary challenge against Lieberman in 2006 saying Democrats had a right to primary Lieberman. Dean played by the rules then and he's playing by the rules now.

[phleshdef]

23. "Howard, its not about you, its about the country", Al Gore to Howard Dean in 04.

Right now is not the time to feed the media a bunch of controversy with parties taking revenge on former members.

I wouldn't have shed one tear had Lieberman been honestly punished, but at the same time, there is wisdom in this decision to let it go.

Some people don't know how to choose their battles wisely and some do.

[Cha]

26. You make

sense.

[Larkspur]

31. The Senate Dems have no wisdom. They are an aristocracy that will protect their own

despite how despictable and corrupt they are.

By voting to keep Lieberman in his chair on the Homeland Security Committee, the Senate Dems voted FOR the status quo, and bipartisanship was practiced under the Bush Admin. The Senate Dems supported Bush on all the major issues of the day -- the war, the bailout, etc. The Senate Dems didn't even offer much challenge to Bush's reich wing judges who now infect the Federal court system.

[ProSense]

25. Frankly, this is all beginning to seem like cover for carrying on the same insider politics. n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

27. It's not often that I find myself in disagreement with the good doctor

But Howard, you're wrong this time. And after what Liberdouche said about you in the 2003/04 campaign, you should know as well as anybody that the traitorous piece of shit hates anything good about the Democratic party, and should no longer be allowed to leech off of us.

[pecwae]

28. Is this statement from Dean

to be taken as proof that Obama wanted this or does he have to hold a presser to convince some DUers that this is indeed his wish?

[4lbs]

30. I'm waiting to see if Lieberman becomes Obama's and Reid's lap dog, voting and doing whatever they

want him to do.

If so, then keeping him was a genius move.

If not, well....

[Dr Fate]

32. "Revenge" is a strawman. It's not about "revenge" -it's about being loyal & being practical.

I like Dean, but to say this is all about "revenge" is pro-Lieberman spin.

I think this "revenge" talking point allows weak kneed, black-mailed DEMS to save face:

"We dont engage in 'revenge' like the Republicans do, we can work with and reward our traitors all in the name of good governace..."

I hope they have someone up there who is working on better excuses for the next time we cave to Conservatives or Republicans- this one barely works.

[Ichingcarpenter]

33. The "revenge" talking point is being put out by leadership and the Party Line

Not only Dean is saying it.

I think the grassroots activists are smarter to buy into that
but they are trying to minimize the damage.

[Dr Fate]

36. Agreed. n/t

n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

34. OK. For Dr. Dean's sake and for Obama's sake, NOT for Joe's. . .

I will agree with both of them here.

Now, please, Dems, keep that back-stabbing k*** out of my sight before I change my mind.

:nuke:

[democrattotheend]

35. so are we going to throw Dean under the bus now too?

Maybe this will help people regain some perspective. Nobody can accuse Dean of being a Lieberman sympathizer

[wyldwolf]

41. I don't even know what title to use for my reply...

...but last week I predicted in a thread the Lieberman would keep his leadership position after Obama gave a signal that's what he wanted - and I was flamed for it.

Well, Lieberman is in and while the jury is still out on what role Obama played, Dean's statement is a strong indicator.

And no, I'm not happy about it. But oh, well.