Lieberman pisses off Dems again

[FarCenter]

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/8837

June 16, 2008 - 8:16am. By ANDREW MIGA

Joe Lieberman is fast becoming the Democrats' public enemy No. 1.

The four-term Connecticut senator, who came tantalizingly close to being Al Gore's vice president in 2000, not only has been campaigning for his pal, presumed Republican nominee John McCain, now he's publicly criticizing the Democrats' standard-bearer, Barack Obama. Lieberman has strayed before, most notably switching from Democrat to independent in 2006 to hold onto his Senate seat after a Democratic primary loss. But the latest betrayal has upset Democrats, who often answer in clipped but polite tones when asked about Lieberman. The reason: The independent still caucuses with the Democrats on most issues except the Iraq war, and he holds their slim political majority in his hands. "There's a commonly held hope that he's not going to be transformed into an attack dog for Republicans," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., an Obama supporter.

Lieberman has wasted no time in questioning Obama's positions on Iran and Israel, two topics on which Lieberman and McCain agree. Just one day after Obama clinched his party's nomination, Lieberman joined Republicans on a McCain campaign teleconference call assailing Obama following his foreign policy address to a leading Jewish group.

Lieberman accused Obama of blaming U.S. policies for "essentially sort of strengthening" Iran.

"If Israel is in danger today, it's not because of American foreign policy, which has been strongly supportive of Israel in every way," he said. "It is not because of what we have done in Iraq. It is because Iran is a fanatical terrorist, expansionist state."

Later that day, during a budget vote in the Senate, Obama led Lieberman to a corner of the Senate floor for a pointed private conversation. Without elaborating, Obama told reporters the chat was about politics. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had a similar private conversation with Lieberman. For his part, Lieberman said he assured Obama he would avoid personal attacks.

"I said, and we agreed, that any time I get out there mostly I'm going to be talking positively about John McCain — and anytime I would take issue with Barack Obama, it would never be personal because I have the highest regard for him personally," he said.

...

[and-justice-for-all]

1. LIEberman has always been a pain in the ass...

He pretended to be a Dem all the while siding with rethugs.

He is a deceiver and a villain.

[Blackhatjack]

2. Lieberman should have stepped down when he lost the Dem Primary...

... just goes to show you that politics can empower the most undeserving.

IMHO he was Gore's biggest mistake ..... and look at what has been visited upon all of us over the last 8 years.

[King Bacon Fat]

5. Gore COULD HAVE picked a swing stater like Evan Bayh or Jay Rockefeller...

but, no, he picked Lieberman from bluest-of-blue Connecticut.

I'm sure he regrets it more than he'll ever admit.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

9. Too this day, I still ask "Why did he pick lieberman for VP?!?"

n/t

[pansypoo53219]

10. bill's blowjob.

lieberfuckenputz is a moralistic prick. the dems needed somebody vclean, but picked the wrong fuckin jew. feingold he wins.

[WCGreen]

12. Picked the wrong fucking jew...

Now you sound like Jon Stewart...

[King Bacon Fat]

13. I am partial to Paul Wellstone myself...

Then again, he was from the Democratic wing of the party. Not sure he would have accepted.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. I certainly hope...

That for once, they set aside Senate collegiality and slap this Silly Little Man around in the manner he so richly deserves. I mean throw him out of the caucus, reassign his office to a broom closet off of the congressional trolley way and vow to assign a great amount of resources to any Dem who faces him in the next election. In political terms: reach up his asshole and tie his guts into a four-in-hand.

[Telly Savalas]

6. Oh, I don't know.

It's true that the Democrats no longer have any need for the guy. The Senate isn't going to do anything more significant over the next 7 months than pass resolutions honoring the winners of pumpkin growing contests at state fairs. So they don't really have a need for the majority, and thus it doesn't matter if Joementum continues to caucus with them. After the election they should have enough of a lead in seats, they'll have the majority without him.

However, if the Democrats actively tell him to go fuck off, it would open the floodgates for idiotic bullshit on the 24 hour news networks. We benefit when the focus is on Obama's message and not some irrelevant three ring circus, which you know Joementum would just love.

When Joementum spouts off with stupid crap like this, it's best just to give him a little pat on the butt and note how sweet it is that he feels sorry enough for Bush that he pretends to agree with the president's ridiculous ideas to try to help him save a little face.

[Purveyor]

4. "Piss off Lieberman"! You are going to be a very lonely 'troll' in the Senate come Jan. '09...LOL!

[fishwax]

7. I can't wait until hegets the boot n/t

[HughMoran]

8. This is his last chance to be a jackass before the fall when the Dems kick him to the gutter

Lieberman is a mother-fucking piece of Republican attack-dog shit - I hate his fucking guts.

[TheKentuckian]

11. The very definition of JoeMentum...

is the antithesis for momentum. Lieberman costs us in 2000 just by looking like someone you'd never vote for to be President. Not a huge loss of votes but just enough to get into the screw range.

Lieberman really sucks and should be jettisoned as soon as the situation allows, aka right after the election.

[Karl_Bonner_1982]

14. Lieberman is what is wrong with the Democratic party

Joe Lieberman, Zell Miller, Strom Thurmond...all the DINOs that have had too much influence over national Democratic policymaking in recent years. There will always be a few Lieberman Dems just as there will always be a few Chafee Repubs. But we shouldn't let the ideological power base be controlled by the center right of the party.