Whatever Happened to Debate and Joe Lieberman?
It's been great to see Democratic Senators coming out and debating the Iraq war and what we must do to redeploy our troops - and when - and where. These are all questions that will have to be answered unless we really do want our troops to remain in an Iraq quagmire for another 20 years.
"It's been interesting to watch the Democrats debate among themselves," said Senate Republican Whip Mitch McConnell.
I'll bet it's been interesting, since McConnell and so many of his fellow partisan Republican Senators have chosen to rubber-stamp a macabre failure of policy in Iraq and would have no idea what the word debate means or looks like. I don't think they'd know a meaningful debate if it bit them on the ass.
To me, it's been interesting watching the Republicans do absolutely nothing as gas and oil prices rise higher by the day. I was also quite interested to see the debate they didn't have when they stacked the courts with right-wing justices. One of the most interesting things was seeing Rick Santorum nearly pissing his pants with excitement over pre-1991 rusty shells found in Iraq with degraded chemicals in them - as useless and benign as Grandma's 20-year old dexedrine prescription hanging around collecting dust in the bathroom drawer.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, a Connecticut Democrat facing a stiff primary challenge largely because of his pro-war stance, said he would oppose the Democratic amendments.Joe's lost his heart and soul, I'm afraid. I've never said this before, and I'm really sad to be having to admit it now, but I hope he's soundly defeated come election time. Any man or woman who tells this own party that they should not criticize the president on the conduct of the Iraq war is telling individuals within his party to ignore their conscience.
As Harold Meyerson recently commented,
".. the conduct and duration of our involvement in Iraq is the No. 1 issue in the minds of the American people -- a majority of whom believe that the Bush administration has botched the war about as badly as a war can be botched."It's a paradox. Lieberman's trying not to look partisan, so he's defending a war run by partisans who eschew and mock real, healthy, and necessary debate. I happen to think he'll be sorry for have taken such a position someday. To me, it runs against anything Thomas Jefferson ever warned us about.
I'm more than concerned about having been lied to about the reasons for being in Iraq; concerned about the total lack of security in Iraq, concerned that citizens in Iraq are being repressed by theocrats within their communities - more so than anyone who currently lives in Iran; concerned about hearing that our soldiers are being accused of murder and concerned that the people who've targeted and killed our troops are being offered amnesty by the new government while we're still occupying Iraq. If Joe Lieberman's not concerned enough about this entire mess to speak out, I respect his opinion. He should just keep himself quiet and vote with the Repubican partisans (who like their Democrats quiet and submissive) if he thinks that's the proper thing to do. Let real American leaders of conscience take the floor.