Sunday, June 15, 2008

Expect the very worst from Joe Lieberman

National Democrats are outraged at Joe Lieberman's increasingly desperate attempt to hang onto power by supporting John McCain, who represents Lieberman's only chance to avoid being stripped of his Chairmanship of Homeland Security and consigned to the trash heap as this year's Zell Miller. We'll almost certainly hear from "Traitor Joe" at this year's Republican National Convention, where he'll be in "full rabid-weasel attack mode."
By ANDREW MIGA, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - 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. (CT Bob: Don't hold you're breath, John!)

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.
I wonder if Joe Lieberman ever lies awake at night and stares at the ceiling, thinking about how he's pissed away every vestige of integrity in a naked effort to cling to power? I can't imagine he doesn't regret some of the decisions he's made which has permanently stained his legacy and made him alternately hated and a laughing stock.

Does the thought ever occur to him that he should have quietly retired in 2006 and allowed a younger and more idealistic generation assume the helm? He could have become a respected professor, or an MSNBC pundit, or even a highly successful lobbyist for Israel, and done so without wrecking his place in history.

Instead, after this year's election, Joe Lieberman will be remembered mostly as an angry, pathetic, impotent little man; known best for selling out every deeply held belief in order to win.

In that respect, he's perfect for John McCain.

10 comments:

Bob Symmes said...

Unfortunately, Connecticut has TWO things to apologise to the world for: Bush & little Bush.

Adam J Schmidt said...

Zell Miller was appointed - Joe Lieberman was popularly elected by the people of Connecticut...

CT Bob said...

True enough.

I don't think it makes that big a difference though; Joe managed to lie successfully to the people of Connecticut that he was in favor of pulling out of Iraq enough to counter the huge anti-war vote out there. There's no doubt about that.

The overriding issue here is Lieberman's betrayal to the Democrats, and to America in the long run.

Anonymous said...

A majority of Connecticut residents re-elected Joe to the Senate. Let's get over it already.

J.P. said...

+1. Enough of the sour grapes already. He won. You may not love him, but I don't like Gov. Rell either- I don't spend every day crying about how awful she is.

CT Bob said...

This isn't about 2006 dude, although I'll admit that he's awful just because of that.

This is all about 2008. This is about a man who will hang onto power no matter what; who will betray every belief, who will sell any lie, and who will make a deal with anyone who might help him hang on a little longer.

How can you apologize for him?

Anonymous said...

dont ya think you're being a little extreme. gives us a bad rap.

CT Bob said...

"Us" who?

I don't think I'm saying anything that a lot of people aren't already thinking. You don't have to be a genius to see that Lieberman is an opportunistic liar.

"Nobody wants us out of Iraq more than me"
- Joe Lieberman 2006

Adam J Schmidt said...

The overriding issue here is Lieberman's betrayal to the Democrats, and to America in the long run.

I have a great deal of respect for your opinion Bob, but I think you're letting the rhetoric of a partisan fight get out of hand.

In the Spring of 2001 had I said that Sen. Jefford's decision to caucus with the Democrats, thereby switching control of the Senate, was a "betrayal to America in the long run" I'd have been out of line and I think you would have said so.

Your characterization of Sen. Lieberman's support for McCain as a 'betrayal to America' is out of line. I believe my views basically fall in line with those of Sen. Lieberman - are you saying that my political beliefs are a 'betrayal to America' as well?

Now, there's every chance that I'm over interpreting your words here - so I would like to know what actions Sen. Lieberman has taken that has led you to say that:

The overriding issue here is Lieberman's betrayal to the Democrats, and to America in the long run.

Because I hope you would agree that disagreeing with a particular political party is not the same as betraying your country.

CT Bob said...

Adam, you're right. I probably should have used better phrasing to explain my thoughts, rather than combine them into one sentence ("...to the Democrats and to America..."), but then again I'm just an inarticulate knob who really has no business being a blogger, considering my on-again off-again relationship with proper grammar and coherent thought.

That said, I think that Lieberman lied when he said he'd always be a Democrat. Right there, that says a lot about his character. We have a liar for a senator.

But there's no mistaking Lieberman's support of an attack on Iran, even if he hasn't come right out and joked "Bomb Iran, bomb bomb Iran" like his hero John McCain did.

I won't bother listing all the reasons why I dislike Lieberman and everything he's become, because I know you know them and happen to think they are positives, not negatives.

But even though I tend to resort to partisan rhetoric on occasion, make no mistake that I have long believed Lieberman is bad for our nation regardless of whether he is a Republican, a Green, a Libertarian, or a true blue Democrat.

He was bad for us well before he left the party. He lost me back in 2000. I voted for Gore/Lieberman, but for Giordano for Senate because I disliked him so much (at the time I didn't know you could selectively not vote for any candidate, so I made my one and only Republican vote in my lifetime for a now-convicted child-molester.)