Inouye retracts Lieberman endorsement:

[kpete]

Posted on: August 28, 2006 at 11:58:13 am
Inouye reverses course on Lieberman
U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye has backed away from his support of Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman in his controversial run for re-election as an independent.

Inouye drew criticism in the local Democratic Party when he said he would continue backing Lieberman even after he lost the Aug. 15 Democratic primary in Connecticut to Ned Lamont.

......................

Inouye initially said that he'd support Lieberman as an independent because he was concerned about the single-issue focus on the war in Iraq that turned primary voters against Lieberman, who is strongly aligned with President Bush on the war.

But Hawai'i's senior senator said he was disappointed when Lieberman made a speech "very critical of the Democratic Party."

more at:
http://blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com/index.php?blog=10&title=inouye_reverses_course_on_lieberman

[gratuitous]

1. Was that so very hard?

Thank you, Sen. Inouye, for once again proving that when circumstances change, the intelligent person changes his mind. It's apparently a lesson lost on the folks in the Bush administration. Staying the wrong course is not "decisive," it's "stupid."

[Jed Dilligan]

2. Good for him

Inouye's kind of a reed in the wind, but he showed some backbone during Iran-Contra. (Damn, he must be getting up there in years!)

[wryter2000]

5. He lost his arm in WWII, I think

I'm fairly sure I remember him in Watergate, but it's hard to know what I really remember anymore. :)

[NoPasaran]

8. I remember him too

He was on the "Watergate Committee" chaired by Senator Sam Ervin.

[wryter2000]

14. Right

I was on a leave of absence from work. I watched all the hearings. I'm hoping to do the same with hearings on W after we take back Congress.

[PegDAC]

9. Yes, he did.

He won the Medal of Honor in WWII

:patriot:

[Cha]

3. K B & Freakin' R!

This is HUGE(yes, I can spell huge)! I was bummed that only one of my future Senators(Akaka) was supporting Lamont, but NOW..Whoa! It's only freakin' right.

Thanks, lieman, for knockin' Inouye back to sanity with your garbage mouth.

I hope Akaka beats ed case in the primary!

"Hawai'i Rep. Ed Case, who is challenging Sen. Daniel Akaka in the Democratic primary, also announced he would support Lieberman as an independent, and has given no indication that he's joined Inouye in changing his mind."

[wryter2000]

4. Better late than never

I guess Sen. Inouye got a feeling for why this was NOT a one-issue vote. Good on ya, Senator. :applause:

[D23MIURG23]

6. Better late than never.

[long_green]

7. I wish my senior Senator (Landrieu) would do the same

nm

[XOKCowboy]

10. Yea I'm waiting on Salazar to remember who voted him in...

I'm beginning to wonder if Salazar isn't to the right of Lieberman though!

[KamaAina]

11. Maybe he's not a complete DINO after all

he does seem to have lurched rightward these past few years (i.e. probably not running for re-election). He punkied out on the bankruptcy bill, for instance. :puke:

[Mugsy]

12. I was disappointed in him. This is some redemption.

I was glad to hear this. I've usually like Inouye. He can be a really good speaker when he wants to be, so to hear he endorsed Joe over his own Party came as a big disapointment.

But it appears now he is finally realizing what the rest of us saw long ago, that Joe is no Democrat. Hasn't been one in over a decade, but continued to run as one because CT is so blue and he couldn't have run as a (R).

Funny thing is, Joe *really and truely* thinks he's a Democrat. Reminds me of the joke about Keith Richards: "He actually died years ago, but no one has told him to lie down." Joe doesn't know he's not a Democrat. Someone just needs to hand him a list of Republican positions and Democrat positions, and ask him which he agrees with more.

[mkb]

13. Cautiously Optimistic

     I always advise not to expect too much, at least until
there is reasonable assurance that you can, but the news is
improving somewhat.
     We shouldn't believe, I think, in some fixed viewpoint
that says something is inevitable, or that cycles are
predetermined in life, because life is full of uncertainty.
     Nevertheless, cycles can be a factor in determining how
people make decisions and who they support.
     This may be a case of people's hard work in opposing the
war is causing politicians to think about things differently,
and perhaps support the right policy.
     It may sound arrogant that we think we have the best
answers to the problems that face us, but people who have
spent the time and energy learning the truth about the world
and wish to make it the best it can be have the right to take
a firm position regarding the issues.
     We can't always be certain why politicians change their
mind, this time for the better, but we should consider that
work by the common people in society is having a positive
impact.
     I hope we balance our hopes and fears accordingly,
because there are many challenges to face ahead.