Posted on 08/20/2008 7:05:46 PM PDT by Kaslin
Patriotism: Joseph Lieberman will be called a Judas for speaking to the Republican Convention, but he was betrayed by his own party for refusing to support losing a war for political gain.
Lieberman serves in the plum post of chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, where earlier this year he published a powerful and fascinating report on how terrorist groups such as al-Qaida use traditional media and the Internet to propagandize and recruit on a global scale.
He is also a high-ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and is currently visiting Georgia, Ukraine and Poland with fellow panel member Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to show U.S. solidarity with those young democracies in the wake of the Russian invasion of Georgia.
But because he dared to place country before ideology and supported nothing less than victory in Iraq, Lieberman was targeted for destruction by his party and defeated in the 2006 primary by a blue-blooded leftist willing to spend his family fortune against him.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
Lieberman is a good man at heart; I’ve always felt so, and I’m just to the right of Godzilla....
...yet to this day, I cannot fathom why he actually ran with a spineless dirtball like Al Gore. Ambition? Who knows...but if they share ideaology.....well......
“mob of cowards gang up on a hero”.........happens a lot unfortunately.......but some can stand strong, others fold. This is what separates the men from the boys
Lieberman will probably lose his Democrat seniority and status after the November election.
After the Nov. ‘06 elections, the Senate line up was 49 Republicans, 49 Democrats, Bernie Sanders,socialist of Vermont, and Joe Lieberman. Both Sanders and Lieberman caucused with Democrats to give them a 51-49 majority. The Dems. needed Lieberman to maintain their majority at that time. But if Dems. gain several Senate seats in this years elections, they won’t need Lieberman to maintain the majority. In that case they will cut him loose.
I think it’s absolutely shameful how the Democrats treated Joe Lieberman. They put their Daily Kos ideology ahead of someone who agrees with them 90% but supports the war effort. These liberal / radical types demand 100% obedience or else you are dead to them. And here we thought politics was the art of compromise, of working with those who you don’t agree with 100%. The Daily Kos crowd wants all or nothing. I think they have intimidated the Zell Miller/Sam Nunn/George Mitchell/Scoop Jackson Democrats who used to be in Congress.
Zell Miller redux?
I do believe sincerely that Obama lost any support he would have gotten from blue dog Democrats, because of his recent debate performance.
Many who would have voted for the Hildabeast, will now come over with Lieb.
Lieb is a good man, as long as he doesn't wax too Utopian.
Obama rallies state Democrats, throws support behind Lieberman
By Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer | March 31, 2006
HARTFORD, Conn. —U.S. Sen. Barack Obama rallied Connecticut Democrats at their annual dinner Thursday night, throwing his support behind mentor and Senate colleague Joe Lieberman.
Obama, an Illinois Democrat who is considered a rising star in the party, was the keynote speaker at the annual Jefferson Jackson Bailey Dinner.
Lieberman, Connecticut’s junior senator, is under fire from some liberal Democrats for his support of the Iraq War. He was key in booking Obama, who routinely receives more than 200 speaking invitations each week.
Some at Thursday’s dinner said that while they were pleased with Lieberman’s success in bringing Obama to Connecticut, they still consider Lieberman uncomfortably tolerant of the Bush administration.
Obama wasted little time getting to that point, calling it the “elephant in the room” but praising Lieberman’s intellect, character and qualifications.
“The fact of the matter is, I know some in the party have differences with Joe. I’m going to go ahead and say it,” Obama told the 1,700-plus party members who gathered in a ballroom at the Connecticut Convention Center for the $175-per-head fundraiser.
“I am absolutely certain Connecticut is going to have the good sense to send Joe Lieberman back to the U.S. Senate so he can continue to serve on our behalf,” he said.
Obama received widespread attention for his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, delivered while he was still a state senator.
Lieberman became Obama’s mentor when Obama was sworn into the Senate in 2005. They stayed close at Thursday night’s event, too, entering the room together and working the crowd in tandem.
Despite the camaraderie between the two, the crowd was clearly more receptive to Obama’s remarks than Lieberman’s speech about party unity and the potential for Democratic victories at the ballot box this fall.
In fact, scattered boos greeted Lieberman when he took the podium, and he had to stop three times during his remarks to shush the crowd so he could deliver key points.
Ned Lamont, a Democratic activist and anti-war candidate from Greenwich, is challenging Lieberman for the party’s nomination this year. Legions of supporters of Lieberman and Lamont both attended the dinner.
Lieberman, who is seeking a fourth term, also faces an Election Day challenge from Paul Streitz of Darien, who is trying to win the Republican nomination.
Some Democrats at Thursday’s event said Lieberman’s support of the Iraq War is still a sore point with them. In fact, the Democratic town committees in Windsor and Manchester both recently passed resolutions condemning Lieberman’s stance.
“Those of us who’ve been on the shooting end of the war gallery aren’t happy at all about what’s going on,” said Warren Packer, a Manchester Democratic Town Committee member and military veteran. “I think he’s done some good things for the state, but he has to answer for the war.”
But that view was not shared throughout the ballroom.
Former Connecticut Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Maloney, who voted against the launch of the war while he served in the House, said he thinks Lieberman’s other accomplishments will overshadow the concerns about his stance on the Iraq War.
“I’m still confident my position was correct, but I just as strongly believe that Sen. Lieberman voted his conscience,” Maloney said. “Even those of us who don’t agree with him on that one issue have to credit him for doing what he thinks is the right thing.”
The Domocrats don’t know a good thing when they’ve got it
Man, IBD’s editorials just keep getting better and better. I think it’s time I subscribed!!!
Remember, Dingy Harry and his fellow RATS have only run the Senate for the laast two years because Lieberman caucused with them, even after they supported his opponent in '06. Had he caucused with the Pubs, it would have been 50/50 with Cheney breaking the tie. Now they claim he is betraying them. Joe seems like a good guy, but hey, you lay down with dogs (or RATS) you're gonna wake up with fleas.
Lieberman: Obama not ready to lead
By Sam Youngman
Posted: 08/03/08 11:22 AM [ET]
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) said Sunday Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is not ready to be president, and Sen. John McCains ads from this past week were merely trying to illustrate that point.
Lieberman, appearing on Meet the Press with 2004 Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), said the Arizona Republicans ad this week featuring pop celebrities Paris Hilton and Britney Spears was cute and it raises the question of Obamas (D-Ill.) readiness to be president.
This is a good young man, Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said. Is he ready to lead or as ready as John McCain? The answer is no.
Kerry responded that the ad was unfair and unnecessary, arguing that instead of raising legitimate questions the Republicans are engaged in character assassination.
Thats an ad that plays to the worst instincts in America and that is to diminish someones character, Kerry said.
The 2004 nominee added that the ad represents a complete contradiction in John McCain, arguing that the presumptive GOP nominee has reversed himself on his pledge to run a respectful campaign.
Lieberman conceded that Obamas stated belief that the McCain campaign is trying to paint him as risky is an accurate observation, but he said he was offended that Obama would suggest that race was a factor in that strategy as he was accused of doing at a campaign stop last week. The Obama campaign is rejecting that charge.
Lieberman, who caucuses with Democrats and is the reason they have the Senate majority, has broken with his former party on national security and has irked Democrats by forcefully backing McCain.
The Connecticut Independent also continued to play somewhat coy about whether hell speak at the Republican convention later this summer, saying that decision hasnt been made.
Well see, he added.
Well, not exactly. Lieberman would weaken us from within. Does he realize it. I just don't know.
The Senator is a good man. A good man whose views are, for the most part, diametrically opposite of mine...but, he’s the type of lib I can respectfully disagree with. Lord, how I wish the Dims had more like him instead of the nutty fringe who’ve hijacked that party.
Its significant alright. ZING ~~
I couldn’t remember anymore who the democrat was who campaigned for President Bush, so why shouldn’t Joe Lieberman campaign for John McCain?
Look at Lieberman’s complete voting record and it will be no surprise why he ran with AlGore and why he caucused with the RATs. He’s a Scoop Jackson democRAT.
Look at the liberal Americans for Democratic Action ratings system. Lieberman earned a lifetime "Liberal Quotient" of 77, six points more liberal than Dick Gephardt. Question: Lieberman's a "conservative," does that make Gephardt "far right?" In 1999, Lieberman was assessed 95 percent from ADA, making him one of the Senate's eight most liberal Senators. That year he also received a fat zero in the ACU conservative ratings.So how in blazes does Lieberman's lifetime conservative rating of 19 percent make him a "conservative Democrat?"
He’s a liberal dem, that’s why.
There was no war then.
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