Lieberman Facing Lose-Lose Proposition in Race

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=16145

Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the first Jewish candidate for vice president, is in a world of political trouble. Facing a tight race for the Democratic nomination from Ned Lamont, he has already started to collect signatures to run as an independent, should he lose the primary on Aug. 8.

Lieberman's friends say he is being scapegoated by the left for his brave foreign policy centrism and support of Israel. He is this generation's Washington Sen. Henry "Scoop" Jackson, they suggest. And Jews, remembering the old foreign policy battles, should support him. snip

If this story line were true, a host of Jewish Democrats, centrist on foreign policy, such as Rep. Howard Berman (North Hollywood), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Rep. Jane Harman (Venice), would be under just as much assault, and the party would be on the verge of civil war. They are all doing fine, although Harman did face a strong primary challenger whom she defeated.

And it's not as if the Democrats have become a party of doves. Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) voted for the war and won the 2004 presidential nomination. Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.) supported the war and still leads the field for 2008. Lieberman has received the support of the overwhelming share of Democratic officeholders and party leadership, so he's hardly an isolated hero in the party's ranks. So why Lieberman?

Lieberman seems to genuinely like, admire, support and crave the approval of two men who are anathema to most Democrats: President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. He might also be one of the last Democratic voters left in America who thinks the Iraq War was a great idea, brilliantly executed by a smart president, leaving America and Israel much stronger than before.

[Greeby]

1. Centrist my ass!

If it's centrist to cheerlead for the killing of thousands of innocent people for no damn reason, then paint me a raging leftist :eyes:

[saltpoint]

2. I doubt if the Iraq war is the only motivating factor for some Democrats

who oppose Lieberman in this primary.

My guess is that it's much more comprehensive than just Iraq, although Iraq is a defining issue of the last 5 or 6 years.

I think there's a kind of amiable cluelessness that pervades everything Joe says on tv, combined with the irritation that the positions he takes tend to support Bush, and Bush is the problem in the overall.

He seeks the esteem and approval of people we oppose. It confuses and irritates and prompts us to oppose him.

I hope Ned Lamont triumphs in the August primary in Connecicut.