WP Candidate Forum: Lieberman Defends His Vote for $87 Billion

[BurtWorm]

He says he hopes people who disagree with him see he's doing what he thinks is right, is acting with "integrity."


http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/zforum/03/sp_politics_lieberman110403.htm

washingtonpost.com: This weekend's Washington Post/ABC poll found that 64 percent of all respondents opposed President Bush's request for $87 billion for military operations and reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The opposition was much higher, 85 percent, among Democrats. You backed the funding, as well as giving President Bush the authority to use force in Iraq. Is your support for the Iraq war costing you support among Democratic primary voters? Given Democratic voters strong opposition to the war, according to polls, would your position decrease Democratic turnout in the general election, if you were the nominee?

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman: To me leadership is about doing what you believe is right for the country whether it is politically popular or not. That is the way I felt about my vote in support of the 87 billion for Iraq and Afghanistan. It is a lot of money. We could use a lot of here at home. It is more money than it should be if George Bush had a foreign policy that didn't push the rest of the world away and if he had a plan about what to do the day after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, but we had a choice to make. I didn't duck it and I didn't play politics around it. I did what I thought was right to support the 135,000 American soldiers that are there. To finish the job of helping the Iraqi people to build a new country -- free and modern.

I hope people who don't agree with me on this particular vote will decide that they want someone as their president who does what he believes is right, particularly when it is controversial. That is what I mean when I say I will lead America with integrity.

[elfwitch]

1. of course he does...

When is he going to change his party affiliation?

[HFishbine]

2. Wow! I agree with Joe!

"I hope people who don't agree with me on this particular vote will decide that they want someone as their president who does what he believes is right, particularly when it is controversial."

Yes, Joe. You're talking about me. I don't agree with you on the vote and I have decided that I want someone as president who does what he believes is right even when it's controversial. Thanks for encouraging me.

BTW, when are you going to drop out of the race?

[IrateCitizen]

3. Is he truly as delusional as he comes off, or is it just an act?

It is more money than it should be if George Bush had a foreign policy that didn't push the rest of the world away and if he had a plan about what to do the day after Saddam Hussein was overthrown, but we had a choice to make.

Excuse me, but wasn't he one of the louder voices in favor of invading Iraq in the run-up to the war? And I don't think he was so concerned about "pushing the rest of the world away" back then.

As for the "plan" of what to do after Saddam's overthrow, I didn't hear Joe voicing concerns on that during the pre-invasion stage, either.

He's a sinking ship -- I just hope that he doesn't drag the rest of the party down with him.

[nolabels]

15. It seems to me the party with the least morals take the spoils

Maybe if the Dems want to win they should just drop the illusion of a pretense and go straight to hedonism. I mean, after all, when two sisters can't even agree on issues like this, how can you really debate issues?

http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache:Y-7QjVZ__SQJ:www.latimes.com/la-fg-congiraq18oct18,1,76695.story+rep+loretta+Sanchez+%2B+voting+%2B+87+billion+%2B+Iraq&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

House, Senate Approve Iraq Aid Package

(snip)
The Democratic presidential candidates in Congress also split on the issue, with Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Rep. Richard A. Gephardt of Missouri supporting the spending bill, while Sens. John Edwards of North Carolina and John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio opposed it.

California Democratic House members also were split. Rep. Loretta Sanchez of Anaheim voted for the measure, but her sister, Linda T. Sanchez of Lakewood, opposed it.

California Democrats voting for the spending measure were Joe Baca of San Bernardino, Howard L. Berman of North Hollywood, Dennis A. Cardoza of Atwater, Susan A. Davis of San Diego, Calvin Dooley of Hanford, Tom Lantos of San Mateo and Ellen O. Tauscher of Pleasanton. The other California Democrats voted against the measure.
(snip)

I heard this rep on Radio today, and then realized some people can rationalize anything if the people they are talking to don't get the opportunity to question them. I don't think the US congress is going to do much in favor of the people without having to be dragged into it.

These congress people get monetary support from corporations on their ability to be creative compromisers that favor the interests of their major contributors. Everybody knows it, so why would anyone wonder why 61% of eligible voters pass up their chance vote and don't take it seriously

It’s not a choice of the lesser of two evils it’s a question of the quickest way to go to Hell. I am sure this post will get deleted in a few minutes. But I can still ask the question now, If people that are not brave enough to face the truth, do they deserve what ever comes their way?

[gratuitous]

4. "It's a lot of money . . . more money than it should be"

But I voted to appropriate it anyway. Uh huh. And what "principle" are you standing on, Mr. Lieberman? "Throw good money after bad"? "A fool and his money are soon parted"? "In for a penny, in for a pound"?

[robbedvoter]

5. Doing the unpopular? "I don't care if 70% percent oppose it"?

Ahm wait! I am mixing up candidates. Anyho, we already have someone who doesn't care what we think, non?

[bif]

6. The Zell Miller of the North

.

[jiacinto]

11. That's another distortion

There is a lot of difference between Miller and Lieberman.

[BurtWorm]

7. Lieberman on Why He Can Beat Bush (get ready to puke)

Rockville, Md.: Senator Lieberman,
Why do you think you have the best chance of beating Bush in a general election?

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman: It is because I am the most independent minded center out candidate in the Democratic field - which is to say that I am the most like Bill Clinton was in 1992. That means that I can take Bush on where he is supposed to be strong but really isn't - defense, security and values. I can defeat him where he is weak on his failed economic policies and his right wing social agenda. Years ago someone told me that you can't help the people unless you get elected, and that is important to voters who want to deny Bush a second term to remember. We have to run a candidate who can hold Democrats together, appeal to moderate Republicans and win among independents, and I believe I am that candidate.

[BurtWorm]

9. On How He Is Different from a Republican

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman: The fact is that I am very different from the Republican I am running against which is George Bush. I have a very strong support on social justice and social progress. My positions on civil rights, environmental protection, education, health care, women's right to choose, consumer protection, worker protection, are like day to George Bush's night. I resented when some people say just because I am strong on defense and am willing to talk about values in public life that somehow I am not a good Democrat. To me being strong on defense and talking about values is all about being a good Democrat in the tradition of Kennedy and Clinton and Gore.

_______________________

[Iverson]

8. He's quite sincere.

That isn't the same thing as integrity, though.

[BurtWorm]

10. What's the difference between Bush's "integrity" and Lieberman's

if they both amount to exactly the same thing?

[Iverson]

12. a few practical details

Neither one has much integrity as I understand the term, but they have distinctly different beneficiaries. It's like opposite sides of the same country club.

[BurtWorm]

13. Lieberman is answering questions mostly about energy and the environment

...apparently trying to run as a Green Bush? (No pun intended.)

[spindoctor]

14. I don't want someone as my president who does what he believes is right

I want someone as my president who does what _I_ believe is right.
That is why a President (or a Senator) is _elected_ to represent as many people as possible.

That is not integrity, Mr. Lieberman. That is dictatorship.