Democrats and Our Enemies (Joe Lieberman Op-Ed)

Wall Street Journal ^ | May 21, 2008 | Senator Joseph Lieberman

[RWR8189]

How did the Democratic Party get here? How did the party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy drift so far from the foreign policy and national security principles and policies that were at the core of its identity and its purpose?

Beginning in the 1940s, the Democratic Party was forced to confront two of the most dangerous enemies our nation has ever faced: Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. In response, Democrats under Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy forged and conducted a foreign policy that was principled, internationalist, strong and successful.

This was the Democratic Party that I grew up in – a party that was unhesitatingly and proudly pro-American, a party that was unafraid to make moral judgments about the world beyond our borders. It was a party that understood that either the American people stood united with free nations and freedom fighters against the forces of totalitarianism, or that we would fall divided.

This was the Democratic Party of Harry Truman, who pledged that "it must be the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures."

[Dawnsblood]

I do miss the days when we could be fairly sure that whichever parties’ candidate was elected, America would be defended. People can blast Joe all they want, but he is one of the few Dem reps that would.

[RWR8189]

And we all saw what his reward for standing up for America was.

Getting booted out of his own party.

[TheWasteLand]

This guy was algore's running mate for the Dem nomination! Weird how things change in 8 years.

[Dawnsblood]

Yep and now their standard bearer stands for disarming us in front of our enemies. My God bless and protect us.

[MtnClimber]

These Communists are not your father’s Democrats.

[rawhide]

Mr. Obama has said that in proposing this, he is following in the footsteps of Reagan and JFK. But Kennedy never met with Castro, and Reagan never met with Khomeini. And can anyone imagine Presidents Kennedy or Reagan sitting down unconditionally with Ahmadinejad or Chavez? I certainly cannot.

Obama does not even deserve to walk in the shadow of Reagan, or for that matter, JFK.

[Two Kids' Dad]

What a great read! Thanks for posting it.

[RobinOfKingston]

Mr. Lieberman is an Independent Democratic senator from Connecticut. This article is adapted from a speech he gave May 18 at a dinner hosted by Commentary magazine.

I wonder who applied the label of Independent Democratic to Joe. The 'crats will take his vote when they can get it, but ain't gunna give him spit in return.

[JennysCool]

Someone should post that very cool and historic, pic ...

[krb]

How else would you describe him? He’s definitely independent, and he has pledged to vote with the Dems for leadership roles.

[piytar]

“a party that was unafraid to make moral judgments about the world beyond our borders”

Well, Joe, if you can’t understand how an amoral self-serving victimology-baiting pro-infanticide power hungry socialist dominated democr@p party can fail to make the right “moral judgments,” then you aren’t nearly as smart as I thought you were.

[billmor]

Good article by Senator Lieberman...He wonders why today’s Democrats have turned away from the strong, principaled leadership of yesterday’s Democrats..

In part,this is a result of the dumbing down of America..Many do not know American History, nor the past struggles of generations past, and they have been brought up in an era of ‘me-too’ ‘feel good’ Constitutionally protected freedom. As a result, they have been led down a primrose path of pacifism, radical rebellion against all ‘authority’ and isolationism...In doing so, they have left the middle course of American politics which believes in a strong America, able to sustain itself and still provide aid and assistance to countries in distress..

It is a time of shame and humiliation for a once decent party that cared for the poor and the working class and provided many benefits to generations of Americans...Hopefully the majority of Americans will choose not to follow that devious and twisted path of shame in November and will vote for a strong America by voting Republican...

[4buttons]

"People can blast Joe all they want, but he is one of the few Dem reps that would."

Joe's an old schooler- mind you, I don't agree with most of his policies, he's a social democrat; but he's an honorable man, and a man who has respect for his office. In the '06 elections, being a New York Republican, I had no one to vote for, really (Anyone remember who Hilary ran against? Me neither.), so I sent Joe a hundred bucks so he could beat the weasels in his own party who dealt him dirty.

His stance on the war and our defense is greatly appreciated. He was good enough for Bill Buckley, he's good enough for me.

[Names Ash Housewares]

This needs to be repeated over and over again until it sink into as many voters minds a possible.........

“If a president ever embraced our worst enemies in this way, he would strengthen them and undermine our most steadfast allies.”

[DB]

This sounds like VP preparation by Joe Lieberman for John McCain.

[DB]

How honorable was it to change several of his “long standing moral” positions to run as Gore’s VP? Some regarding the most basic life and death principles such as abortion.

[goldstategop]

A strong rebuke of Obama from Joe Lieberman. He's disenchanted with the anti-American leftist and won't support him as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee. I agree with what he wrote for the Wall Street Journal. There was a time when the Democratic Party stood against America's enemies and championed freedom abroad and at home. No longer.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[babyfreep]

This one was good, too.

A great Democratic secretary of state, Dean Acheson, once warned “no people in history have ever survived, who thought they could protect their freedom by making themselves inoffensive to their enemies.” This is a lesson that today’s Democratic Party leaders need to relearn.

[goldstategop]

Lieberman is an old school liberal and he's a patriot. He puts America first. That's not something you hear from the Democrats these days. In particular, Obama's hysterical reaction to Bush's Knesset speech last week was profoundly revealing in the insight it gave us into the soul of today's Democratic Party. I didn't like what I saw there at all.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus