Free Republic

2011 could bring some quick indications on whether this year's collapse of energy and climate legislation in the Senate created lasting wounds.

 Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) chatted Wednesday about reviving their partnership on energy, Lieberman told E2. “It is one of the things we want to work on together next year, start again,” Lieberman said Wednesday in the Capitol. His comments come as President Obama in the new year will seek talks with Republicans on energy. Lieberman said areas on the table include a “clean-energy standard” for utilities, which Graham is already pushing, and efforts to...

(snip) Saturday's debate on the repeal of the "don't-ask-don't-tell" policy was only half an hour old when the Arizona Republican burst onto the floor from the cloakroom, hiked up his pants and stalked over to his friend Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). Ignoring Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), who had the floor, McCain hectored the men noisily for a few moments, waving his arms for emphasis. When McCain finally stormed off, Durbin shook his head in exasperation and Lieberman smiled. A minute later, McCain returned - he had apparently remembered another element of his grievance -...

A new political organization is looking to give the political left and right a run for their money. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, is joining a number of other Independents, Democrats and Republicans in launching “No Labels,” a group that hopes to solve some of the nation’s largest problems with non-partisan solutions.Besides Bloomberg, among those participating in the kick-off: Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Indiana; Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York; Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia; Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut; Reps. Mike Castle, R-Delaware and Bob Inglis, R-South Carolina; former Republican congressman Tom Davis and Republican Florida Governor Charlie Crist, who ran for...

If only this were a coalition of the left and the right working out differences. But alas, it’s just a coalition of mostly liberal politicians who used to label themselves by a political party and now would rather fly stealth. Sigh. If you are not familiar with “No Lables”, no worries, it’s brand new and they certainly deserve a Hat Tip for brevity. Here’s their declaration: We are not labels – we are people. We care deeply about our country. We are frustrated and concerned about the tone of politics. We are passionate about addressing America’s challenges. We are Democrats,...

Next week will be crucial for gay rights advocates and congressional supporters of repealing the “Don't ask, don't tell” law. Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) are working to garner support for a standalone bill to repeal the Clinton-era ban on openly gay people serving in the military. Lieberman and Collins formally introduced that bill on Friday. The Senate this week dealt a severe blow to repeal when it fell short of the 60 votes necessary to start considering the defense authorization bill, which contains the repeal provision. At this point the standalone repeal bill is a last-ditch...

Joe Lieberman essentially has two options for 2012: Retire or become a Republican. The Connecticut senator and Democratic exile hasn't made up his mind whether to seek a fifth term, Lieberman and those close to him say. But if he does, the GOP ticket appears to offer his best shot at reelection. "That's his only hope," said John Olsen, president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO and a former state Democratic chairman. Even that, Olsen and others involved in Connecticut politics say, looks like a long shot. But no other avenue appears to be open to the 68-year-old Lieberman, who won a...

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Senate Republicans would "welcome" any Democrats who wish to switch parties and caucus with the GOP. Cornyn, the head of Senate Republicans' campaign efforts, floated the possibility that the GOP might target Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), an Independent who caucuses with Democrats, or another Democratic senator if Republicans come close to winning a majority but fall short. "I think he votes like a Republican on those areas, and we would certainly welcome him or any other Democrat who wants to switch sides of the aisle and caucus with us," Cornyn said of Lieberman during an...

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) could have the power to decide who controls the Senate after the midterm elections. Polling suggests Republicans could pick up as many as nine seats this fall, making a 50-50 split between the two parties a distinct possibility. A nine-seat gain for the GOP would give Democrats the slimmest possible majority: a caucus of 50, made up of 48 Democrats and two independents, Lieberman and Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.). Vice President Joe Biden would become the crucial tie-breaking vote in the Democrats' favor. But that one-vote majority would hinge on Lieberman continuing to caucus with the...

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) today delivered a major policy address on “The Future of American Power in the Middle East” at forum hosted by Council on Foreign Relations. “Certainly the door to the negotiating table should remain open to the Iranians—but it is equally certain that the Iranians must not be rewarded simply for showing up at the table. The test is not whether the Iranian regime is talking, but what the regime is doing. As long as centrifuges are spinning and uranium is being enriched, the pressure from sanctions on Iran must keep growing.” “It is time for us...

The Racist Arab MK: Ahmed Tibi who loves to shout "racism" Bogus rant & disinformation An Arab MK politician criticized for so frequently throwing around 'racism' even 'fascism' flags on routine Israeli security action, in his campaign of bashing Israel, including spreading disinformation[1], his "assertions" & claims of events are often refuted [2], he was Arafat's top adviser, since Arafat systematically attacked the legitimacy of Israel as a "racist" he used Israeli-Arab politicians, like Ahmad Tibi in his/this campaign[3].The racist Some have actually accused Ahmad Tibi of being the racist.[4], despite alarming worries over his association with the PLO and...

The Senate sponsors of a sweeping climate change bill are drafting a scaled-back version focused on electric power plants in a bid to salvage a role for greenhouse gas curbs in the Senate energy debate. Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) this week will start circulating a draft of their narrowed plan as they try to convince Democratic leaders to include a carbon pricing component in a broad energy package that may hit the Senate floor next week. “I am very optimistic that we can pass something here that deals with energy and gets us started in the...

Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) are continuing their recess trip to the Middle East with a stop Tuesday in Jerusalem. So far, they have met with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the Palestinian National Security Forces. McCain — who has documented the trip via Twitter — said Tuesday morning they would also meet with Israeli leaders.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Sunday said that the U.S. military’s rules of engagement have hurt troop morale in Afghanistan and said that he hoped the new top commander there, Gen. David Petraeus, will clarify them as soon as possible. The previous commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, placed restrictions on U.S. air strikes and artillery in Afghanistan, limiting the circumstances that allow troops under fire to call for fire support. Those rules of engagement have cut down on civilian casualties, but have been strongly criticized by American troops who say those rules have made the fight more dangerous.

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Vice President Joe Biden landed Saturday on what appeared to be a dual mission in Baghdad: to visit U.S. troops during the July Fourth weekend and coax Iraqi leaders into ending their government impasse. Top Obama administration officials have been reluctant to visit Iraq since its deadlocked March election failed to produce a clear winner. Biden's trip may signal the U.S. is stepping up its efforts to hammer out an agreement among Iraqi political rivals and get a new government in place as soon as possible.

Energy Policy: The administration plans to use sleight-of-hand politics to sneak through an economy-killing tax on energy as necessary to save the Earth. Make no mistake: Cap-and-trade is a tax every American will pay in every aspect of his or her life.IBD Exclusive Series: American Freedom And Prosperity Under AttackCap-and-trade is like Jason Voorhees of the "Friday the 13th" movie series. Just when you think you've killed it, it comes back. Exposures of fraud in the climate science used to justify it seemed to doom its chances as the economy soured and prospective costs seemed prohibitive. Then the Deepwater Horizon...

The American Left would like America to be more like China. Senator Joe Leiberman (I-Conn.) said as much when touting the need for his Internet Kill Switch bill, which would give the President the authority to shut down the Internet in a time of national emergency. Well, here is what goes on in China, as reported last week in London’s Daily Telegraph: Parents who believed their children died in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake because school buildings were shoddily-built petitioned the Chinese government to release its findings in a post-earthquake investigation. About 60 parents that were attempting to deliver the petition...

A US Senate committee has approved a wide-ranging cybersecurity bill that some critics have suggested would give the US president the authority to shut down parts of the Internet during a cyberattack. Senator Joe Lieberman and other bill sponsors have refuted the charges that the Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act gives the president an Internet "kill switch." Instead, the bill puts limits on the powers the president already has to cause "the closing of any facility or stations for wire communication" in a time of war, as described in the Communications Act of 1934, they said in a...

WASHINGTON -- Gen. Stanley McChrystal's comments about President Obama and other administration officials went off like a roadside bomb at the highest levels of Washington yesterday. Defense Secretary Robert Gates blasted the general for "poor judgment" and ordered him to return immediately to Washington to discuss the matter face-to-face today. Gates said McChrystal had apologized to him and others named in the Rolling Stone article -- but Gates declined to let him off the hook. "I believe that General McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case," he said in a statement. Wisconsin Democrat Rep. David...

<p>Three key senators on Tuesday joined the Washington chorus questioning the judgment of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, adding that his fate is in the hands of President Obama.</p> <p>The statement by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham is important because it gives the Obama administration political cover if the president decides to fire McChrystal. The three senators are longtime backers of the military.</p>