Posted on 08/20/2006 11:43:07 AM PDT by Dane
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Joseph Lieberman, seeking to slip out of a perceived White House embrace, insisted on Sunday he was a loyal Democrat and criticized the Bush administration's post-invasion Iraq war policy.
The 2000 vice-presidential candidate lost the Democratic primary vote in Connecticut to an anti-war rival this month, but is now running for re-election as an independent candidate in a contest that has exposed deep U.S. divisions over the unpopular war.
Some Republican officials have shifted their support to Lieberman, and the White House took the rare step of declining to back the Republican nominee, leading critics to accuse him of becoming the de-facto candidate for President George W. Bush.
Lieberman, who according to a poll released last week now leads the Senate race in the Democrat-leaning state, said in an interview on CBS television that he was "devoted" to his party and would remain in its congressional caucus if elected.
"I am a Democrat. Look at my voting record - I voted 90 percent of the time with the majority of Democrats in the United States' Senate," he said.
However, he said, "I feel I allowed my opponent to distort my position on Iraq," he said. "What I mean is he made me into a cheerleader for George Bush on everything that's happened."
Lieberman reiterated his call for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign due to setbacks in Iraq and said that despite his own support for overthrowing Saddam Hussein, he thinks Bush has mishandled Iraq policy after the invasion.
"I've been very critical over the years, particularly in 2003 and 2004 about the failure to send enough American troops to secure the country," he said.
But he said there would be all-out civil war and a "disaster we pay for a generation" if Washington sets a deadline for a troop withdrawal from Iraq, a call that helped his Democrat rival Ned Lamont win the primary vote.
"The position that my opponent and others take to set a deadline by which we will get out is the surest way to get to a civil war, which would be dangerous for our troops, a disaster for Iraq, the Middle East and for the United States of America."
He said the president and Congress may need to consider a troop withdrawal in the event of "all-out" civil war in Iraq.
Leading Democrats said the senator's defeat showed voters' anger at Bush and the war ahead of November mid-term elections, while Republican and administration officials have painted it as an example of Democratic weakness on national security.
Democratic party Chairman Howard Dean has called for Lieberman to drop out after his primary loss.
Lieberman's decision to shrug off the defeat and run as an independent has ensured the war will stay in the election spotlight as Democrats try to wrest control of the House and the Senate from Bush's Republican Party
Criticizing Bush or calling for Rumsfeld to resign isn't exactly "in support of" the WOT.
LIEberman is more than willing to pander to the kook fringe of his party whenever he feels his seat of power is threatened.
"Joe Lieberman is one of the few liberal Democrats to be right on the decision to overthrow the murderous regime of Saddam Hussein. His stance has angered those of his party who have not only no agenda save a hatred of Bush but no moral compass as well."
Yeah but Lieberman just blasted Bush's post-Saddam overthrow policy as failed. That's what this thread is all about.
He won't even get 10% of the vote. There's probably 8 people in the whole state that even knows his name, and I am one of them.
I'm LMAO over the whole thing. Go Yoda, go!
if the shoe fits where it or dont, whatever
ok, but lets send lamont back to the junkyard
"The American Conservative Union gives those three GOP representatives ratings of 48, 40 and 20. In Connecticut, Republicans can't win, but RINOs can."
Better 48%, 40% and 20% than 0%-19% and Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House, don't you think?
Joe is definitely a Democrat. He got in the hole by not opposing the war , Now he is trying his damndest get out of that hole by criticising president Bush. He had a pretty good chance of getting some Republican votes , but he is afraid to accept them.
To tell the truth I hope he loses to Lamont.
Better the enemy you know.
By electing a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN in his place (and don't tell me "it can't be done"....that's what they said about Tom Coburn going against two GOP-endorsed RINOs in Oklahoma).
Initially I wanted Lieberman to win just to stick it to the leftie Dems. Now I believe I want Lamont to win. Reason, Lamont will be a freshman Senator, with no power, no committee Chairmanship in his future, no seniority, no real influence. This would be preferable to Joe's being in a position of seniority and influence, perhaps with a Chairmanship if the Dems (heaven help us) somehow manage to take the Senate.
Of course, if Joe wins and Lamont loses, one can't rule out the vindictiveness of liberal Dems who would try to cut Lieberman out of a Chairmanship opportunity; however, then those Dems would risk a threat by Joe, now being an independent, to caucus with, or vote on key issues, with the Pubs. All is a risk no matter how you slice the cake. But a weak Lamont may indeed be preferable to a stronger Joe who votes 90% Dem issues, w/the exception of the war, and even there he now is waffling in order to get elected. Wonder whose votes he thinks he will gain by waffling. It won't be Dems, and he'll lose a lot of the cross-over vote that would have happened by Pubs, up until now, when Joe goes after Rummie. Bad move on Joe's part. He should have just kept his mouth shut, in order to gain the Pub help he will need in order to win. He's not thinking clearly politically by going after Rummie. It's how he'll end up being Loserman.
Lieberman will win for the same reason Red Ted Kennedy has been in Washington since he was in diapers (A typical diapers to Depends DemocRAT). DemocRATS in the northeast are terrified of "change." They will stick with Lieberman.
Not with this guy, so lets send lamont back to the junkyard, plus i love seeing the rats eat there own yum yum
He is already a " Loserman" IMO.
He had another chance to act like a man and he blew it again , just like when he went down on Gore.
I'm voting for Schlesinger (sp). I've NEVER voted for a liberal scum, and won't start now with Lieberman. Screw that two-faced scum. He's only marginally better than Lamont, and being only marginally better doesn't justify my vote going to a scummy lib. Easy choice for me.
"Then bow down to your master!"
Which makes me wonder yet again why the President won't come out and say he supports the Republican candidate. If President Bush thinks that Lieberman can be made to switch parties then he truly is naive.
I think that Senator Joe is letting the GOP know that it is his tail wagging this election dog and he owes them nothing. He may also be privy to a decision already made by Rumsfeld to leave after the Nov elections and he will get credit for forcing him out. I wonder just how smart it is for Republican party spokespersons to openly root for Liberman while at the same time asking the party voters for money to help get our own people elected. It sure does not sit well with me. Republican voters in Conn can vote the straight ticket and Liberman will probably still get elected. Or not. Let the RAT chips fall where they may. The state GOP will then get a higher percentage of the vote to build on. Maybe Bill Buckley or some other high profile, high income, Connecticut Republicans will step up to the plate in 2008 and run for office. There is absolutely no assurance that once elected, Liberman will continue to support the WOT. He is already waffling and weaseling. Trust a RAT at your own peril. VOTE STRAIGHT REPUBLICAN IN NOVEMBER.
Mark my words, Lieberman will win and within three months he will drop the 'Independent' pretense and rejoin the Democrats with his committees and seniority intact. And the only uncertainty in the picture is if it will take as long as three months for him to do that.
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