Rescuing Joe Lieberman : Obama's First Big Mistake on the Job

[Phred42]

Obama's First Big Mistake on the Job

Rescuing Joe Lieberman
http://www.counterpunch.org/lindorff11122008.html

By DAVE LINDORFF

The word is that Barack Obama, in keeping with his promise of a new post-Bush/Cheney era of “civility in government,” is telling Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid not to eject the treacherous Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) from the Democratic caucus.

This is a terrible mistake. Joe Lieberman is a wretched example of a man without principle—a back-stabbing slimeball of a politician whose only allegience, apparently, besides to himself, is to Israel.

Now I don’t want anyone to think I’m some rabid anti-semite. My wife and kids are Jewish, we have good friends who are Israeli, and no, I don’t think the Jews run the media or the country. I do, however, think that Joe Lieberman thinks more about what, in his warped and shriveled worldview, is good for Israel, than about what is good for America.

This senator from my childhood state of Connecticut, who back in 2000 ran as a standard-bearer of the Democratic Party as Al Gore’s running mate, since 9-11 has been a warmonger of the first order, even joining the right-wing Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) in trying to pass a resolution in the senate last year which, had it made it through as he originally worded it, would have effectively enabled—even invited--George Bush to attack Iran at will as a part of Bush’s megalomaniacal global “War” on Terror.

[Deep13]

1. Well, it's up to the Senate, not the president-elect. nt

[stray cat]

2. I don't like Lieberman - but he appears to have principle because he believed in McCain

and staked everything on it. His principles just clashed with the democratic party.

[madaboutharry]

3. I think Lieberman is a

first class shmuck. But, Mr. Lindorff lost me at the "some of my best friends are Jewish" shtick. One thing is clear, Obama is not into revenge politics. He is a diplomat. Perhaps Mr. Obama's philosophy is "keep your friends close, and your enemies closer".

[MarianJack]

4. Along with putting partisanship aside,...

...The Prez-Elect may be following the old thought credited to LBJ.

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.

Not that I agree, because I'd like to see lieberman staked to an anthill. I do think that we should give Obama a huge benefit of the doubt. he has made precious few mistakes.

PEACE!

[hisownpetard]

5. Know what? I hate Lieberman. He makes me want to believe in torture. He makes me sick. But

I will defer to Obama on this one, because his judgment has been impeccable till now and he may
have reasons which go beyond my knee-jerk reaction of "Throw the bum out" and "Give him the hook!"

I guess this is one case in which my desire for revenge is less than my faith in the intelligence of our President Elect.

So I'm gonna just bite my tongue and see how this plays out.



P.S. But I reeeeeeally can't stomach Lieberman!

[yurbud]

10. I have the same mixed feelings about Lieberman as I do about right wing media...

they are disgusting and pervert our political discourse, but they are a window into the thinking of the right.

If they were gone, it's not like the GOP would fax their talking points and what they are trying to distract us from to the rest of us.

And if they were gone, it would be easier to fall for the MSM lie about moral equivalence between the parties and their tactics.

[YOY]

6. He's trying to reach across the aisle...

Frankly, I understand why but I hope it is an empty gesture that leads to no fruition.

[yellowcanine]

7. Based on his performance to date I am going to give Obama the benefit of the doubt until I have

reason not to.

[4themind]

8. The mistake may be reading too much

into the wrong behind the scenes reports, which may or may not be correct. The only person who I've seen specifically mentioning Obama wanting lieberman to keep his chair is Howard Fineman, and his phraseology in doing so just didn't convince me. Personally I'm hearing contrasting reports about whehterh Obama wants lieberman to stay in the conference in general, vs. whether he's in support of him keeping his gavel, and the two may not necessarily be linked, despite lieberman's bluster. It's just a matter of whether democrats call his bluff on it, which I hope they do. Really this is Reid's responsibility,and I'm going to save most of my anger for if he is actually voted in next week, for him. In the mean time I'll be firing off letters to senators asking them to not take this guy on.

[Phred42]

9. or reaching too much

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

11. Do You Resent Obama Or Something? You Seem To Love Posting Smear Crap On Him.

These articles are worthless.

[BornBlue]

12. I have to disagree

I was all for giving Lieberman the boot until I was watching the news last night. My gut reaction is he betrayed the party, but we are also talking about a possible 60 seat majority, and that includes Lieberman. Also, by stripping him of his chairmanship, he may say f-it and leave the senate altogether. This is a particular problem since the Governor of CT is a repub. For now I think it is better to have 1/2 a dem than a full repub.

[lligrd]

13. LIEberman Is Connecticut's Problem To Take Care Of

I think they will solve it when he is up for re-election. Let him enjoy his last irrelevant years in Congress.

[Javaman]

14. huh, last time I checked Obama wasn't prez yet and it's not up to him anyway. nt

[WI_DEM]

15. It was a suggestion from Oaama ultimately it is Reid and the Senate dem caucus to decide.

[TexasObserver]

16. OMG! Some guy somewhere thinks Obama has made a mistake.

I would be fine with Dems body slamming Joe Lieberman to the max, but it's not my call. It's the call of Democrats in the senate. Obama is a Democrat in the senate, and he's also the guy who just won the most votes ever for president. That means he's earned the right to advance the notion that got him this far.

Anyone who has read the books Obama wrote before the campaign for president knows he is totally committed to his ideal of making government work with less contentiousness, with real civility, and with consensus building.

Obama realizes there may be times in the next few years we will need Lieberman. If we need him one percent of the time, how big might that be?

I don't want Joe Lieberman sitting on the committee he chaired. I could live with him in the caucus.