By Lee Speigel

Jul 20, 2008 12:03pm

Lieberman: Obama’s Iraq Trip Only Possible Because of McCain

"Look, the fact is that if Barack Obama’s policy on Iraq had been implemented, Barack Obama couldn’t go to Iraq today, it wouldn’t be safe," Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., told Chris Wallace this morning on "Fox News Sunday."

"Barack Obama, John McCain saw the same difficulty in Iraq," Lieberman argued, "John McCain had the guts to argue against public opinion, to put his whole campaign on the line because, as he says, he’d rather lose an election than lose a war that he thinks is this important to the United States…"

Lieberman continued: "Sen. McCain and I and others want us out of Iraq, sooner rather than later, but want us out in a way that does not compromise all the gains that American and Iraqi forces have made in Iraq … And frankly, we want to stay there to a victory, because we don’t want all those who have served in the American uniform there to have served, or in some cases died, in vain. Remember this, Chris, we wouldn’t be having this discussion about how to get out unless the surge, which John McCain courageously fought for, taking on the president of his own party, popular opinion, risking his campaign, and which Sen. Obama opposed, worked. So, that’s the good news."

And there’s this charge as well: "If Barack Obama’s policy in Iraq had been implemented, he couldn’t be in Iraq today, is because he was prepared to accept retreat and defeat, and that would mean, today, al Qaeda would be in charge of parts of Iraq, Iranian-backed extremists would be in charge of other parts of Iraq. There’d be civil war and, maybe, even genocide. And the fact is that we are winning in Iraq today. And, you know, you can’t choose, as Sen. Obama seems to think, to lose in Iraq so you can win in Afghanistan. The reality is, if we lost in Iraq, which Obama was prepared to do, we — we would go to Afghanistan as losers."

This is basically the McCain spin on Obama’s Iraq trip: picture Iraq if the U.S. had withdrawn its troops.

- jpt

User Comments

I love how Lieberman sees right through Obama as we all are starting to do. Tied in the polls and he’s desperate. Love it, love it, love it.

Posted by: Jo | July 20, 2008, 12:30 pm 12:30 pm

The safety of the Green Zone has not been affected much by the surge. McCain has had to have security the last time he went beyond it just as he did before the surge. Lieberman is just pandering to his Republican base here.

Posted by: Don Thieme | July 20, 2008, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm

Time and time again, when change is required, Obama follows the status quo. But when he makes a speech, then he keeps yelling that we need change. No more speeches. No more talk and please Mr. Obama, no more hypocrisies.

Posted by: young_voter | July 20, 2008, 12:40 pm 12:40 pm

Lieberman is biased but honest enough in his assessment of the situation. McCain’s position on the war is unpopular, he has no support from his base, is far behind in money, receives less media attention, and yet is very close in national polls. It’s hard to understand how this can be true.

Posted by: Independent | July 20, 2008, 12:44 pm 12:44 pm

He seems to skip over the part that he and John McCain were the individuals Bush encharged with the publcity to get us into Iraq.
Go read his speeches and statements he said EVERY DAY before we went into Iraq…and compare them to the ones he states now with Iran. That they were/are a grace and gathering threat to our nation…and he also said we would be treated like liberators.
funny how selective mr LIE berman is…
or just how gross.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 12:44 pm 12:44 pm

“”Sen. McCain and I and others want us out of Iraq, sooner rather than later, but want us out in a way that does not compromise all the gains that American and Iraqi forces have made in Iraq ”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Really Senator Lieberman? Sooner rather than later? Not 50 to 100 years? Why the change? Nevermind. I know why.
You say FLIP – and I’ll say FLOP.
P.S. If we has gone in at the troop strength recommended by General Shinseki at the beginning of the war, no “surge” would have been needed? Wonder why we didn’t? Oh yeah, Bush and Rumsfeld didn’t listen. Just a small 4000+ dead troop error, no cause for alarm.
P.S.S. Peace came when Al Sadr got what he wanted, and not a moment before.

Posted by: Nobodys fool | July 20, 2008, 12:44 pm 12:44 pm

“This is basically the McCain spin on Obama’s Iraq trip: picture Iraq if the U.S. had withdrawn its troops. ”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I’ll go you one better – picture Iraq if we had never invaded. We can never get all these dead people back. Never. And what have we won?

Posted by: Nobodys fool | July 20, 2008, 12:46 pm 12:46 pm

to follow up on my earlier statement…
so …yeah without McCain Obama probably wouldn’t be visiting or going to visit Iraq right now…
because we would not have gone to war and let the despot crumble under the weight of all the sanction that would have been heaped more and more on his country…
but they didn’t care about that…they wanted to go build nations.
go look at their statements before the war.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 12:47 pm 12:47 pm

“McCain’s position on the war is unpopular, he has no support from his base, is far behind in money, receives less media attention, and yet is very close in national polls. It’s hard to understand how this can be true”

Posted by: JR | July 20, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm

Look, the bottom line is that we never should have invaded Iraq in the first place. A “surge,” whether it was a success or not (and I think it’s still premature to call it that), wouldn’t have been necessary if we weren’t occupying the country at the time. Violence has been reduced, it’s true, but that seems to have as much to do with the Shiite militia as anything. They are being paid to keep their arms down. What happens when we don’t pay them anymore?
Further, if anyone is in need of a U.S. Senator, let me just note that Lieberman is available. He represents my state and we don’t want him anymore. We might prefer to exist until 2012 with one senator and make do. Any takers?

Posted by: mary | July 20, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm

So being intelligent to warn against starting what turned out to be a failed war that killed 4,000 Americans, cost trillions of dollars and gained nothing is a problem for the Republican’s now?

Posted by: Bob | July 20, 2008, 12:56 pm 12:56 pm

Lieber who ?
Why would rational people listen to anything this man says ??? This ridiculous.

Posted by: dave | July 20, 2008, 12:58 pm 12:58 pm

If there are two lessons that must be learned from the Vietnam war, it is first not to start a directionless war and second, if it is started, it must be to completion. Obama got the first lesson right; McCain got the second right. The problem is Obama is second-guessing – the war has already started.

Posted by: country_voter | July 20, 2008, 12:58 pm 12:58 pm

I wonder why no one ever remembers that Lieberman is also the current spokesperson for the Israelis & thus has his own agenda or should I say the agenda of another nation in mind. He’s not simply a flip-flopper. He’s a fake, pretending to represent America & Americans but actually representing Israel & Israeli agenda. They want to talk about the Obama “connection” to Islam, but never the Lieberman connection to Israel which is REAL. You can’t have two masters, and Lieberman has shown his is Israel. Not America. Obama has shown his is America… not any other country.

Posted by: A S David | July 20, 2008, 1:02 pm 1:02 pm

What is ludicrous about this whole issue? Could it be that we are there because the democrats refuse to drill off shore where the known oil is? the result of this foolishness is we have to fight to keeps the oil flowing. What is the real price of oil? Blood!

Posted by: sandyshores | July 20, 2008, 1:08 pm 1:08 pm

Al Queda only came to Iraq after Bush started his war. This mess was all caused by war hungry Republicans. If Bush had listened to Powell, we would not be in this mess.
Iran was and is a greater threat to our security, and we no longer have the resources to strongarm them. We are far less safe today than we were on 9/11.
It is not insignificant that Al Maliki is calling for Obama’s timetable for troop withdrawal.

Posted by: Bert Weiss | July 20, 2008, 1:10 pm 1:10 pm

If Barack Obama’s policy was implemented, there would be no need to go at this time.

Posted by: Alex Liao | July 20, 2008, 1:10 pm 1:10 pm

Obama and OTHER CONGRESS PEOPLE have visited Iraq before.
Was so-called McCain’t ‘strategy’ always in effect then? NO!
Judas Joe Lieberman is a Joke!
We have Al Gore’s bonehead idea to pick this loser for VP and gave him UNDESERVED prominence.

Posted by: Patriot | July 20, 2008, 1:11 pm 1:11 pm

Lieberman is history!!

Posted by: ghm | July 20, 2008, 1:14 pm 1:14 pm

Really Liberman? Iraq and Afganistan is safe? So Obama has to schedule “top secret” visits because he wanted to suprise the troops? Wow, now I know where my next vacation will be!
Keep your lies to yourself you vice president wanna-be.

Posted by: PMAT | July 20, 2008, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm

LIEberman knows Connecticut voters are not going to send him back to DC when his term is up and he is 100% in favor of the 100 year war.
he has become a one issue cartoon character…
anyone miss the days of a $2 gallon of gas?

Posted by: Joe DIRT | July 20, 2008, 1:15 pm 1:15 pm

Lieberman is as the first commenter said a dirt bag period. If it is so safe in Iraq why is it that when grandpa went he had on a bullet proof vest was surrounded by a company of 82nd Airborne GIs and had eight attack helicopters hovering over him the whole time? If he wanted to do the right thing by those who have fought in Iraq including my son and our nephew who died there he could have supported the improved GI Bill that Senator Webb got passed. Only after there were enough votes to easily overturn the George W. threatened veto did both of those bozos act as if it was there idea all along. Shame on both of these characters. Obama is right we have no business spending 12 billion a month in Iraq and ignoring the true terrorists nest which is in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Lieberman should go ahead and switch parties and then just stand next to Senator McSame so he can tell him which is a Sunni and which is a Shia. To hell with both of them sayeth my decorated veteran family. We join thousands of vets who are supporting and will vote for Senator Barack Obama a man of intellect and integrity two qualities neither of these clowns have. Jon us America you need only visit the local veterans hospital if you want to see the true cost and the shabby treatment our boys and girls are receiving.
YES WE CAN SI SE PUEDE
BARACK AND ROLL in 2008
p.s. A guy named Obama is up in the polls not tied and he is the true underdog but our team is certain to landslide the deal no desperation Jo. The McCain folks are whining that our man is getting all the attention and the dough too.

Posted by: Joseph Bento COL US ARMY RET | July 20, 2008, 1:17 pm 1:17 pm

The fact is Leiberman is right on with his statement. If the surge (which Obama and many others opposed) had not been implemented, Obama would NOT be visiting Iraq.
He would be railing about the failed policy of the Bush administration.
Whether you agree with anything else is irrelevant.
Face the fact that his statement is 100% true, no matter how much other drivel you post.

Posted by: JD | July 20, 2008, 1:18 pm 1:18 pm

Joe is right – Obama is conventional dem/lib party line all the way through vochers,drilling, partial birth, failure of surge, etc etc – now the Dems move to be hawks on Afgan.?- Obama is not an original thinker- nothing special about him except his ego.

Posted by: tttnyc | July 20, 2008, 1:20 pm 1:20 pm

Let me ask. What is the goal in Afghanistan?? We went there for revenge and to hunt Obama Bin Laden. We have not found him and don’t even know if he is there. So now what? Oh, let me guess. We are there to bring Democracy to all. These peoples culture(let me include any Mideast country) is thousands of years older than our own. If they had wanted Democracy, do you not think they could of had it by now?
We are so arrogant as to think these people want what we want, think like we think. Some do, but apparently most don’t. But we are the United States and we always know better. So now we can recreate other countries in our own image, just like God.
As I read the newspaper and watch the news..My advice, clean up our own backyard before telling others how to think, act and live.Other cultures have a right to exist besides our own.

Posted by: Cheryll | July 20, 2008, 1:21 pm 1:21 pm

BIG DEAL !! Whats is green zone, thats only less then 1/2 of a tenth % of all of Iraq. THe only way to solve the problem is impeach Cheney, Lieberman and Bush!

Posted by: ghm | July 20, 2008, 1:22 pm 1:22 pm

“McCain’s position on the war is unpopular, he has no support from his base, is far behind in money, receives less media attention, and yet is very close in national polls’
_________________________
I think it’s because McCain doesn’t shy away from the unpopular viewpoint when he really believes in it….
And, just as in the case of the surge,
he’s been right .
He may be plain…
But many of us feel he is more trustworthy than Obama.

Posted by: eyes wide open | July 20, 2008, 1:23 pm 1:23 pm

JD
great that that statement standing on it’s own…may be true…the suirge quieted violence so Obama can visit…who cares.
the goal of the surge was for a government to be formed that would last.
how did they get the quiet…the same way they have done a number of times before…
give one of the sides that is your enemy guns and power…
Great that has come back to bite us almost every single time we did it.
If history is any foreteller…this will strengthen the group that will eventually overthrow the government we helped establish and make the region LESS safe.
and Lieberman is awfully choosy in his choice of what McCain is the cause of ingetting us to here…McCain pushed for the war as did Lieberman.
but I guess because that hurts the argument that is off the table for him…you know revisiting the past before the surge.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm

Lieberman embodies all that is wrong with politics. He is a self serving coward.

Posted by: bob | July 20, 2008, 1:24 pm 1:24 pm

Lieberman has come full circle as a stooge of the Bush Administration and now as a full time lackey for McCain. I strongly believe the Senate Democratic leadership should have the wisdom and courage to throw him out of their caucus without concern. Lieberman is an extremist who has no regard for US standing and respect in the world community.

Posted by: sok | July 20, 2008, 1:25 pm 1:25 pm

we need more independent thinkers in our two party system that are willing to confront the tyrannical dogma of their party platform. kudos to Lieberman.

Posted by: clinging rural provincials | July 20, 2008, 1:32 pm 1:32 pm

Obama’s policy was no war. If that was done, anyone could have gone there any time..
But no one would need to go there anyway, coz there would be no war.

Posted by: cloud9ine | July 20, 2008, 1:34 pm 1:34 pm

Lets just remember that most of the numbers about deaths that have to do with the Iraq war are now coming close to a million people have died in some form or another indirect correlation to the instigation of the Iraq war.
It’s over 300,000 at the most biased low count… and above 1.5 million at it’s highest count.
Most see it somewhere in the middle.
all gone because a bunch of morons and oil companies.
and ..Mr. Cheney with his three cheerleaders… BW Bush, John McCain and Joe Lieberman and their committee for the liberation of Iraq…
so tell me again why there should not be hearings for every official who not only voted but pushed for this war?

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm

Please! These morons (Bush, Lieberman, McCain) got us into this mess, & one trillion dollars later– it’s safe to walk in the green zone. Give me a break. Bring our troops home and end this foolishness. We have enough problems of our own thanks to these fools.

Posted by: Mel | July 20, 2008, 1:36 pm 1:36 pm

if we had left iraq, Obama would not need to make a trip there.
if we had not gone into iraq in the first place Obama would not need to go there, and we would have had VICTORY in Afghanisan and had caught Osama Bin ladin.
If we has listened to Obama in 2002 we would not have lost 4000 soldiers, 100,000 to 1,000,000 iraqis, 40,000 wounded soldiers and wasted 4 billion a week in iraq.
Liberman lets all play the WHAT IF game.

Posted by: johnosahon | July 20, 2008, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm

If Obama’s plan was executed there would be no need to go to Iraq, becuase the wouldn’t have been any war

Posted by: omosege | July 20, 2008, 1:37 pm 1:37 pm

estimated 1,000,000 lives gone.
Tell us again how noble this war that you and John Mccain and Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush pushed for was Mr. Lieberman.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm

Lame duck Lieberman knows the democrats are going to capture additional Senates seats in November.Joe will be stripped of all his leadership positions.If he jumps parties he want be missed.His vote will be irrelevant.There are rumours of 3 or 4 republican senators willing to switch parties if Joe bolts.

Posted by: JP | July 20, 2008, 1:40 pm 1:40 pm

Lieberman, did you forget, that this country did not have weapons of mass destruction. US and the religious fractions have destroyed the country.
This was an oil control fight, and Bush did not expect any resistance. The US is supporting one of the oil richest countries in the world including rebuilding their infrastructure without any compensation. Explain that Liberman?

Posted by: Mim | July 20, 2008, 1:41 pm 1:41 pm

Informed patriot | Jul 20, 2008 1:40:14 PM
you are so right, libermann LOVES israel more than USA, he needs to go and live in israel, he is putting israel’s self interest before the americans.

Posted by: johnosahon | July 20, 2008, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm

Joe Lieberman wants this war to go on forever. He is a stooge for McCain and even a bigger stooge for the militant factions in Israel who believe the only answer is perpetual and endless war. McCain and Lieberman are spending billions a week on a senseless and incompetent war and will continue to do so forever, or at least until we take the U.S Treasury and our tax dollars out of the hands and return it to making America a better place to live.

Posted by: Richard | July 20, 2008, 1:44 pm 1:44 pm

“John McCain had the guts to argue against public opinion.”
Yeah, just what I want, a president who ignores the will of the people.

Posted by: jeeb | July 20, 2008, 1:47 pm 1:47 pm

Joe Lieberman is an outstanding mole within the Dem party, his leanings are for the Bush regime, and towards Cheney’s Israeli party, traitors of the past were tried and disposed of, it is time that the Democrats showed Lieberman the door with a heavy boot in his rear.

Posted by: visioanary | July 20, 2008, 1:48 pm 1:48 pm

Joe Lieberman simply does what Obama has been expounding all this time – do not work along the party lines. Just imagine if Obama has his wishes come true, we will have a hundred Liebermans who will blur the party lines. We will not have Clinton then supporting Obama. It’s like a soccer match with no player belonging to his team. The match will be directionless, unpurposeful and Obama-like.

Posted by: country_voter | July 20, 2008, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm

Do you know we are not a democracy? We are a republic. When you understand what that means. Maybe you will understand why McCain went against public and its own party for the surge. REPUBLIC….

Posted by: George | July 20, 2008, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm

Lieberman is wrong. We were in Afghanistan as winners in 2002. We went into Iraq and basically lost. All but abandoned effective force in Afghanistan. We aren’t really losing in Afghanistan at this point but I don’t think the rise of the Taliban + Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan is winning.
Iraq might be “safer” but I doubt any American could really call it safe. I don’t see Lieberman or McCain walking down a street in Iraq with just the standard VIP protection they would have in the US–that is proof it is not safe.
Iran will win just by proximity. They may not control Iraq but then Syria doesn’t fully control Lebanon either. I’m not saying Saddam was a good solution for the region but anybody who thought this would be better than what happened after Yugoslavia broke up is a fool. There was no Al Qaeda in Iraq until we opened the door.

Posted by: Last Call | July 20, 2008, 1:55 pm 1:55 pm

I respect the man for speaking his mind. However, his blind allegiance to a poorly implemented and even more poorly planned blunder is most disturbing of all. There are 30 other dictators on the face of the planet and terrorists living in many places other than Iraq. Furthermore, the fact that McCain encouraged the start of the Iraq War should be a no-brainer as to how much MORE (not less) dangerous it is to be there for Obama and anyone else. If you knock a building down and you save someone that was buried under the rubble, should you be praised for saving them or rebuked for having put them there in the first place?

Posted by: BP | July 20, 2008, 1:56 pm 1:56 pm

Lieberman is making an absurd argument. This war should have been never been fought – it is, in fact, the wrong war. Nevertheless, it should have been wrapped up years ago. So to say that adding more troops in Iraq is somehow a brilliant strategy is laughable. Of course throwing trillions of dollars, 4000 US dead soldiers, and countless Iraqi casualties at a problem may eventually solve it, but at what cost? At what gain? This is a failed war, a poorly conceived and executed campaign, built on poor strategy and policies. We need a change.

Posted by: RJ Weston | July 20, 2008, 1:57 pm 1:57 pm

Liberman is because of Bush and McCain Obama had to go to Iraq. If we would have listen to Obama America would not be there, trying to change the Iraqi form of government and trying to take control of their oil. There were no WMD and as for a Saddam, his own people would have taken care of him. Bin-laden did not even think Saddam was a threat.The only thing we are not trying to do is convert them to christianity.

Posted by: dems for the white house | July 20, 2008, 1:58 pm 1:58 pm

It all comes down to whether or not you think we should continue the bush policies. If you think the war should continue indefinitely, while we spend $10,000,000,000 a month, and you think that bush has done well with the economy then mc-more-war is your man. If you think that it’s time we start to get out of iraq and do some positive things for the average American instead of just the top 1% then vote for Obama.

Posted by: pt | July 20, 2008, 1:59 pm 1:59 pm

No if that happens political persons will start to do the right thing, because the Big Wheel will stop turning and the two party system can not make new candidits do what they want..The Wheel is spinning to quickly, so if some one with good intentions is elected in any spot, democratic or republican, they are run over or changed quickly to meet the Big Wheel of Government…

Posted by: Geo | July 20, 2008, 1:59 pm 1:59 pm

Others have mentioned the costs of the Iraq war so I will bring up something different:
Aside from the over 4,000 dead and tens of thousands of US troops injured–let alone their “uninjured” relatives the flawed invasion has other costs.
One other example of the economic burden of the flawed invasion of Iraq. Our military presence in Iraq alone accounts for almost 10% of US consumption. Summarized from AP:
The U.S. consumes about 21 million of the world demand of 86 million barrels of oil per day.
The Defense Department is the nation’s single largest user of energy. At 1.6 million gallons a day in Iraq, the war alone accounts for over 7.6% of US demand. Getting out of Iraq would cut our consumption almost 10% and likely cut prices too. Iraq is guaranteed consumption at this point.

Posted by: Last Call | July 20, 2008, 2:00 pm 2:00 pm

WhatLieberman and his cohorts on the neo-con right don’t ever address is HOW we are going to PAY for a continued presence in Iraq, seeing our country is in bankruptcy, in recession and trillions are owed to foreign powers like China already. Just where will the credit card come from for MORE borrowing while we wait to see if GW Bush-Lieberman-Cheney-etc failure can be ‘fixed’ in Iraq. These nation builders seem to care more about Iraq’s future and safety than they do the future and safety of our own USA. We can all rot with no jobs, no future, massive debt and imploding currency, galloping inflation at the same time as economid DEPRESSION, but Iraq’s future MUST be guaranteed even when we are out of money, out of soldiers and out of time. How about addressing some reality here, people like Jo who are so anti-Obama?

Posted by: allen_osuno | July 20, 2008, 2:03 pm 2:03 pm

george
why did McCain not go against the public when they were scared into the war…
oh that’s right because he was oneof the people scaring them in.
we are a constituational or federal republic OVER direct democracy.
so yes he can go against the will of the people… it would be nice if he did that when it counted like before the war…
again…that’s because he was of the war’s strongest proponents.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 2:05 pm 2:05 pm

Hey Dl
McCain has a record of going against his party and his people, because they trust him to make the right decision even if it is against there will….Republic.

Posted by: Geo | July 20, 2008, 2:07 pm 2:07 pm

Lieberman, the stooge of McSame, who supported the invasion now has to justify the invasion which has failed. Even the Iraqis want the US OUT as soon as possible according to al-Maliki. Ask McSame and Lieberman why did they need to have bullet-proof vests when they had to take a short stroll around Baghdad, surrounded by hundreds of sharpshooters and soldiers?? Lieberman has no loyalty except to his own needs, and McSame, beware! He may even betray you one day! If provided the right incentives, he may even betray his own family – so how can anyone even try to believe him. Lying to justify his own beliefs does not make him any more a leader than bin Laden. The deaths of thousands of americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis must rest squarely on his shoulders and supporting more war and deaths should rest on his conscience for the rest of his life.

Posted by: karuna | July 20, 2008, 2:10 pm 2:10 pm

Sure, let’s pull out now and show our enemies around the world that we are all just a bunch of cowards. Embolden them to fight harder against us everywhere on the globe. Hey, if we beat America in Iraq, we can beat them ANYWHERE. Bin Laden himself said that America is a paper tiger and will run once we start to bleed. Obama and his supporters want this to be true.
It does not matter at this point why the war started, right or wrong, and who was for it or against it in the beginning. That’s past history and can’t be changed. It’s totally irrelevant to the issue of ending it. What’s important now is that we show the world that 1) we are not cowards. We are America and we have guts. Democrats don’t care at all about this. Let all Americans who died do so in vain. So what! 2) We don’t go into a country, make a mess, and run away leaving those behind to fend for themselves and clean up our mess. Gee, the world will love us even more for that. Thousands more of innocent people will die needlessly, but Obama and his sheeply followers don’t care about that. They’ll just keep blaming Bush, McCain, Lieberman, and anybody else who disagrees with their stupid, thoughtless plan of retreat and defeat. How any American can find that acceptable is way beyond me.
Does anyone remember how we ran out of Vietnam? Does anyone remember the NVA tanks plowing through the presidential palace fence and the north and the viet cong rejoicing in victory? Does anyone remember our humiliation and how we felt losing our first war in history? Apparently, most of you don’t. I’m glad that there are still some of us, including Joe Lieberman, who do and have the guts to stand up for what’s really right.

Posted by: BG | July 20, 2008, 2:33 pm 2:33 pm

Ah, Lieberman needs to look up the definition of the “sunk-cost fallacy”…Either that, or brush up on his LBJ history, they both have the same mind set..

Posted by: derek | July 20, 2008, 2:34 pm 2:34 pm

BG:
As a Vietnam Veteran, the last thing I want to see is the death toll increasing in Iraq because we want to spare ourselves embarrassment by sacrificing more of our young.
It is time to leave. And the Iraqi government — which we set up — demandin that we leave provides both a very good reason and a face-saving (for those who need that) excuse.
Support the Troops — bring them HOME!!!
Obama 2008 — Yes, WE CAN!!!

Posted by: jackt51 | July 20, 2008, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm

Lieberaman is probably the only Democrat that speaks the truth. Lieberman may hold Democrat policy views but he will not lie

Posted by: spiinner | July 20, 2008, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm

Congressional membership from the Democrat party once contained many with the good character, honesty, guts, and sound judgment of Joe Lieberman. Though there still are a few, sadly they mostly are gone. This is particularly sad because Joe is a Democrat’s Democrat that has always had the ability to make Republicans better Republicans.
Hopefully, the moveon.org crowd of younsters in idealistic naivite being duped by a collection of 60′s radicals and refugees from the American Communist Party (“progressives”) and funded by Hungarian George Soros’s check book, will soon stumble. Probably this will happen from within as they turn on Obama’s inevitable movement toward the rational center on most issues.
In his rise, I think Obama has gulled the left as effectively as he has gulled the mainstream. We can hope this is the mark of a remarkably effective politician furthering his own pathway to power. But the fact of the matter is that nobody knows the Obama hidden inside the onion.

Posted by: Liquidity | July 20, 2008, 2:46 pm 2:46 pm

this republic vs. demiocracy thing is a non issue here…
it’s stupid…
yes we have a republic…a federal republic a constitutional republic…
that was built on democracy…with the expectation it would be sit on top of direct democracy.
It does not matter that McCain goes against the people when his choices have shown the bigger issue…he was wrong…way wrong.
This is a man that wanted to go into Iraq…before the rest of congress did…before the false bologne about nuclear bologne…
this is a mna who said that Bush should level with the people that this war was going to be long and hard…and he still wanted to go.
Just like he wants to go with Iran…no matter what the people think.
Cowboy hawks …got us here… we are done with cowboy hawks.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 2:47 pm 2:47 pm

danderson,
McCain – gradutaed 894/899 (D- student)
Obama – Magna Cum Laude (A+ student)
This time I chose intelligence.

Posted by: Jane Hussein | July 20, 2008, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm

If the government had followed Obama’s suggestions, he certainly would not be able to go into Iraq today. Because there would not have been an Iraq war, Saddam Hussein, the balance against Iran would be in power in a country that did not have WMD, and did not have any Al Qaeda in it. So of course, he wouldn’t be going there. We would have followed Bin Laden through Afghanistan and got rid of him and his fundamentalist nut followers and the world would be a far safer place than it is now.

Posted by: Willow | July 20, 2008, 2:54 pm 2:54 pm

uh danderson
we got into this under the republicans…we are stuck in this because of the republicans controlling enough of the senate that we can’t change it without controlling 60 to override.
a war hero does not mean a person is a good president…
that is dumb logic.
it’s a nice feature in the image of your president …but a war hero does not mean you make the right decisions on diplomacy, economics, social democracy…healthcare…even taxes.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 2:55 pm 2:55 pm

Everyone here needs to pay attention to every line these guys make, not just the ones quoted FOR you. Every single position these folks have taken is on the record and available to find if you spend that extra 30 minutes to find THE TRUTH. Senator Obama has been a proponent for going AFTER the ones responsible for NINE-ELEVEN, while Senator McCain, a man I once admired, is saying we should hunker down and fight for Iraq. I’ll tell you honestly in my opinion, Iraq is finished with us the minute we leave. They will never accept us as allies, we’ve caused them too much pain. The downfall of Saddam was great for the people, but that hope died out a long time ago, liberators for a day TO occupancy for years.
SHOW me where the lines blur are we against protecting South Korea, WE aren’t complaining about that, some places NEED protecting, and so long as the people are content with that protection, we should continue it, and allow them all the time they need to CHANGE so they can defend themselves.

Posted by: Chris | July 20, 2008, 2:58 pm 2:58 pm

let me just clear one thing here. liberman is NOT a DEMOCRAT, we threw him out of the party in the last election when he lost the democratic senate primary, he won the senate seat as an independent where MOST republican voted for him than THEIR republican candidate.
so again, he is an independent NOT a democrat.

Posted by: johnosahon | July 20, 2008, 2:59 pm 2:59 pm

“I love how Lieberman sees right through Obama as we all are starting to do. Tied in the polls and he’s desperate. Love it, love it, love it.”
You must live under a rock if you think this election is tied. Obama is ahead in all of the major national polls and my as much as 24 points here in California.

Posted by: Mr Moderate | July 20, 2008, 3:01 pm 3:01 pm

This time I chose intelligence. come on man. I choose wisdom over intelligence of this world any day. If you want worldly intelligence, elect another lawyer. Why do you think the world and our system is so screwed up because your intelligence of this world causes all kinds of interpritations instead of the most simple. These people with there idealisms attacked our country they want jews americans and christians dead. We kill them before they kill us. They caused our towers to fall, you say o no they did not, that was Alquida, I say it was an Idealism that wants you dead. You say let them live and stay out of it. I say elect obama the intelligent one and you die. I say elect McCain the wise one and you probably live, unless you join the enemys idealism…Geo

Posted by: Geo | July 20, 2008, 3:02 pm 3:02 pm

“we wouldn’t be having this discussion about how to get out unless the surge, which John McCain courageously fought for…”
Actually, we wouldn’t be in Iraq at all, spent billions of dollars and lost the lives of thousands of soldiers had we not invaded Iraq in the first place, something for which John McCain fought hard for.
And the surge is only one factor in the reduction of violence. The Mahdi Army cease-fire and the Sunni Awakening have contributed greatly to the reduction in violence. The surge was to allow for breathing room for the Iraqi government to make progress politically, such as on the distribution of oil wealth. That has not happened.

Posted by: cincyr | July 20, 2008, 3:03 pm 3:03 pm

Lieberman speaks the truth.

Posted by: Sally J. | July 20, 2008, 3:04 pm 3:04 pm

Obama anti-war supporters,
Face it. Obama is talking about extending the war in Afganistan. He’s already said he’ll be “refining” his Iraq policy. He’s a go nowhere candidate that is telling you things to mislead you. I don’t support McCain but at least he’s not doing the same. Let’s get Hillary back in the contest so we have a real choice.
========================================
Obama — promising more military “aid” to Afghanistan, he’s not even President
========================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | July 20, 2008, 3:06 pm 3:06 pm

and Geo
go look at mccain’s comments on Iraq…they had nothing to do with terrorism.ugh.
He wanted to go into Iraq before almost anybody…and it only had to do with Saddam… and the middle east.
he did not understand the implications of removing that cork…
go look at his comments with and against Joe Biden.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 3:11 pm 3:11 pm

westcoastmessenger
Hillary wants to do the same thing as Obama in afghanistan…please stop with the spin.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 3:12 pm 3:12 pm

Let ME make a couple of things clear:
1. Joe Lieberman IS A DEMOCRAT. He is a DEMOCRAT of character as we remember in a Patrick Moynihan, Sam Nunn, Hubert Humphrey, Mike Mansfield, Scoop Jackson, and countless other DEMOCRATS.
2. Joe Lieberman lost in the primary left the left wing harpies from moveon.org found an egomananical millionaire willing and able to fund his own campaign. Additionally, George Soros spent millions to demonize Lieberman. The PEOPLE if Connecticut were eager and willing to correct this temporary lapse in the general election.
3. Democrat or not, Joe Lieberman has a seat in the Senate from Connecticut for a long as he wants it. The PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT like and respect him. THAT is a reality and one that you and other moveon.org “American Last” types are just going to have to learn to live with.
Since I rather doubt that your “we” is entitled to vote in Connecticut, I suggest your opinion of Senator Lieberman is mute. And if you moveon.org drive him to the Republican party, I am sure they will welcome him with respect and open arms and that he will continue to represent the PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT with wisdom, integrity, and sound judgment.

Posted by: Liquidity | July 20, 2008, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm

Lieberman speaks the truth,truly a honorable man.I fresh breeze in Washington.

Posted by: tommkatt | July 20, 2008, 3:18 pm 3:18 pm

I am sooooo glad that McCain single-handedly won the war in Iraq! It couldn’t have been my cousin who died over there (after the “successful” surge). The idea behind the surge was to give the Iraq government time to pull together. They haven’t – not nearly enough – so what’s wrong with us saying: “Here, it’s your country. You fix it. We’ll help, but you fix it.”????

Posted by: Jarisha Jinx | July 20, 2008, 3:20 pm 3:20 pm

Obama has become another war candidate calling for a troop surge in Afgan…when and where will it end?? Obama and McCain…equals no choice.

Posted by: roger king | July 20, 2008, 3:24 pm 3:24 pm

Liebermann is so full of beans.
If it were not for Leibermann, McCain would not even know the names of the parties in Iraq at all.

Posted by: bruce becker | July 20, 2008, 3:33 pm 3:33 pm

Lieberman’s prominence only possible because of Al Gore!

Posted by: Ricky | July 20, 2008, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm

McCain was right and Obama was wrong.
Obama’s position changes with any shift in the wind. He has no core, he believes in nothing and he will do anything, even destroy america to become president.
Obama is a coward.

Posted by: reason | July 20, 2008, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm

The Iraqi’s dont want us there any more.
They rejected Bush and McCain’s “plan” to create 30 new bases and keep troops there indefinitely.
Obama was right on Iraq.
Obama was right on Afghanistan, and now even Bush’s handpicked admiral admits it.
McCain hasnt got anything right since he crashed his second plane in the Corpus Christi Bay.

Posted by: bruce becker | July 20, 2008, 3:37 pm 3:37 pm

If Liebermann is McCain’s brain, they are both in trouble.

Posted by: ericmiami | July 20, 2008, 3:44 pm 3:44 pm

I am a McCain supporter, I believe he is the best man for president. Obama makes a lot of promises, most I have ever heard from any candidate, ever! In my opinion McCain is NOT “more of the same” as he is compared always to Bush. I think he is a down to earth, realistic, honest and stands by his values, opinions, decisions, and promises, whether popular or not. He will make the best president of the choices before us.

Posted by: steve | July 20, 2008, 3:48 pm 3:48 pm

The only reason Obama visited Iraq, is because the US is in the midst of a war there. So Lieberman is quite right that Obama would not have visited Iraq, were it not for McCain, but the reason is that, were it not for the McCain, and his party’s invasion of Iraq, Obama would not be visiting, for the simple reason that there would be no need to.

Posted by: Richard | July 20, 2008, 3:50 pm 3:50 pm

LIE-BERMAN soto holiness way of speaking is of another world.McCain/LIE-BERMAN two of a kind.

Posted by: Bill | July 20, 2008, 3:54 pm 3:54 pm

No one is saying that McCain put a uniform on, and went to Iraq to fight. So, if your cousin, brother, father, sister, or wife died or were injured in Iraq, no one is comparing their sacrifice to the sacrifices McCain has made for the USA. We salute your loved one, and we’re thankful for them.
What McCain DID do was to make it possible that our troops not be overwhelmed in Iraq. The surge has worked. The Iraqi government is now ready for us to leave, since the insurgency is so weak, and since our leaving will enable them to finish the job.
Therefore, Obama won’t get our troops out of Iraq much quicker (if at all) than McCain will. It’s a moot point. McCain / Obama — they’re both going to be pulling out of Iraq, and moving troops into Afghanistan.
The difference is that Obama has shown a willingness to cut and run. As President, our enemies would be emboldened. If they fight hard, we’ll retreat and leave. With McCain, that tactic won’t work.

Posted by: DaProf | July 20, 2008, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm

So this is a little off topic, but I heard an interview with an Iraqi translator who works with our soldiers in Iraq. She said that Iraqis love America and don’t think of us as occupiers. She said that some Iraqis are naming sons after George Bush- as odd as it seems to me. I heard this on NPR.
I hate war but if we establish peaceful and lasting democracy where before there was tyranny then the price was worth it. The price was worth it because we paid a finite price for a lasting (therefore infinite) gain. If we stay say ten more years in Iraq and make a stable democratic country then numerous generations will be able to be brought up free. Is that not worth it? If it is not it is only because we are too selfish as a generation to sacrifice ourselves for the future.

Posted by: chana | July 20, 2008, 3:59 pm 3:59 pm

The great news is that the majority of people in Connecticut like and respect the courage and honesty of Joe Lieberman. He will be a US Senator for as long as he chooses to run as a Democrat, Republican, or Independent and will not be silenced by moveon.org. It clearly infuriates these neo communist loons that they can not run him out of office.

Posted by: Liquidity | July 20, 2008, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm

Years from now, historians will look back on all this, and the Iraq war, as far as the US is concerned, will be one of our greatest successes as long as we folow through. It may be unpopular now, but so was the purchase of Alaska, and the idea the earth was round.

Posted by: tom | July 20, 2008, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm

LIEberman is shooting his way into the GOP VP slot with all this fear filled war rhetoric. He and the oily financiers that back him, the Bush regime and McCain want to claim the “victorious” spoils of war, namely the Iraqi oil fields. Since McCain’s economic theory and advisor have been thrown under the double talk express bus, the GOP has to make the case for McCain’s military experience, as the critical component for the next president. If McCain is elected, the war in Iraq will never end and we’ll be fighting another war in Afghanistan. If you follow the GOP money trail it leads to oil for war.

Posted by: wassup | July 20, 2008, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm

Obama is revealing his true fabric on this trip. He’s a reactionary guy that will throw money at every problem, without balance and without reason. He’s way too quick to promise to give away money, proving he’s Santa Claus to the world.
========================================
Vote for Obama Claus, to help us give away the billion$ of dollars we don’t have.
========================================

Posted by: WestCoastMessenger | July 20, 2008, 4:08 pm 4:08 pm

ANOTHER FACT:
Obama wouldn’t be making this trip if the McCain campaign hadn’t challenged him and ridiculed him for making Middle East policy without having visited the area. (Yet he continues to make policy BEFORE he goes.)
So, not only is Iraq safe to visit due to McCain’s surge, but Obama is following McCain’s leadership by making this trip.
Obama may make a good president someday, but what has the man actually done besides get elected and manage to “deal with becoming a black man in America”? He’s a very nice guy and a fantastic speaker, but he’s just not ready to wield the power. We have NO idea what he would do with it. Hence so many of his supporters (and former supporters) are getting upset once they learn more of his true intentions.

Posted by: DaProf | July 20, 2008, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm

Wassup:
1. Last I heard we were already fighting another war in Afghanistan.
2. Your man Obama seems to be calling for a troop surge there. To mean this means he is not agains war, he just wants it someplace other than Iraq.
3. If “oil” is the spoil of war in Iraq, who in there right mind would not take it, especially given that we will pay the market rate? I guess you are like Al Gore and want $10 per gallon gasoline.

Posted by: Liquidity | July 20, 2008, 4:10 pm 4:10 pm

Joe Lieberman is RIGHT ON. Who out there is so lacking in brains to not see this truth? Obama is a fool and is making a fool out of himself and the U.S… he is acting like he IS the president! Look at the way he walks around with his hands in his pockets and that smug, arrogant look on his disgusting face. Posing for photos like the president, what a joke!!! He is more sickening every day that passes. He is in love with himself. HOPEFULLY HE WILL GET LOST OVER IN EUROPE AND NEVER COME BACK.

Posted by: ML | July 20, 2008, 4:11 pm 4:11 pm

wow..newsflash;GWB accepted a timetable to CUT & RUN. It just gets more amazing everyday. 182 days to go and then…..rock on

Posted by: dr1321 | July 20, 2008, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm

What evidence do you have that the USA is profiting from the war in Iraq, via a grab for oil?
1. It’s their oil, not ours.
2. We’re going deeper and deeper into debt (to China).
3. The cost of gasoline could easily be at $6 in a year or two.
No, these 2 wars are COSTING us (blood and) money.
Rightly or wrongly, the United States is trying to establish democracy in the Middle East, to promote peace and stability in an energy-rich region that is also a hotbed of political and religious tensions. It’s a huge risk, and it could earn us credibility and better oil prices, or we could be vilified. It’s Bush’s big gamble, and the history books someday will decide whether he was prescient. He’ll probably still be crucified over the expansions of executive power and of course the war crimes.
Don’t make charges that you lack evidence for.

Posted by: DaProf | July 20, 2008, 4:24 pm 4:24 pm

West Coast Mess:
Delusional, as always, I see. Get over it!
Obama 2008 — Yes, WE CAN!!!

Posted by: jackt51 | July 20, 2008, 4:29 pm 4:29 pm

History has proven that if GWB can be President of the U.S.A. you can go to the local coin op laundry mat and find somebody who would do a better job, in fact Anybody can be President…..

Posted by: dr1321 | July 20, 2008, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm

Ah, no Joe, if we would have followed Obama’s sentiments on Iraq, there would have been no war, and no reason to visit the country.
Lieberman is just another doddering old man with old ideas, playin’ old games.

Posted by: Julie | July 20, 2008, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm

Yes We Can Say “Yes We Can”, and that’s about all we can do.
Obamessiah 08 !

Posted by: ja | July 20, 2008, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm

From the way that he speaks and his policy stands, it is clear to me that John McCain is a very honest man, one with a very high level of integrity. It is very sad to see lots of Americans who did not appreciate his integrity, and tried to portray him as the continuation of a third Bush administration, even when their policy standpoints are entirely different. I hope that the American people would be more rational and analyse issues as they are instead of doing it with prejudice and emotional taint.

Posted by: KC | July 20, 2008, 5:03 pm 5:03 pm

Sanctimonious Joe’s logic is getting a little twisted. If Barrack Obama’s policy had been implemented, we wouldn’t be in Iraq at all.

Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | July 20, 2008, 5:12 pm 5:12 pm

Bush is following Obama’s lead in saying more troops are needed in Afghanistan, he is just confused as to how he will get them. McCain follows Bush who follows Obama. On Iraq, Bush sent negotiators to Iraq. McCain in February called Obama naive for suggesting the same thing. In this case also Bush recognized Obama’s wisdom and followed his suggestion and McCain was the late comer.
Obama with his 300 advisers organized into an impressive workforce through Obama’s exceptional organizational skills is helping Obama lead this country out of the quagmire it is in even before he is elected. Meanwhile the plodding McCain burnishes as his credentials his support of the surge, Yes McCain supported the plan worked out by Gen Patraeus so McCain is in fact a good follower. McCain emphasizes that the rise in the number of troops was the cause of success but others think that it was the bribery of the Sunnis that led to success, Whatever the cause it worked.
Now that it has, it is time to divert troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and accomplish the task that Bush acknowledges needs to be done. That will bring the Europeans on board and we can have victory on two fronts.
McCain is not a strategic thinker, he needs someone to follow. He was not appointed admiral in a family of admirals, how could anyone see him as the chief executive of the nation?

Posted by: Ronnn | July 20, 2008, 5:23 pm 5:23 pm

Actually, we do not have a clue what Obama’s “policy” might have been because he was not in the Senate to vote on the matter. This means he was not privy to intelligence as presented. And it also means he was not faced with the responsibility of making a decision under the conditions that such decisions must almost always be made: absent perfected information.

Posted by: Liquidity | July 20, 2008, 5:28 pm 5:28 pm

The surge had little to do with any current “peace” in iraq.. face it just 20k troops doing the same exact same things on the same streets they did in the previous years, did not turn the war. But what has changed the insurgency is buying off the local sunni militias (who may someday turn their arms against the gov’t of iraq again) and peace talks between the shia militias and the gov’t of Iraq. All of which could have happend without the “surge” which is really just a PR campaign by the gov’t, a metaphor for the american people to swallow.
Also Al-Malaki the Iraqi PM has just publically endorsed Obama’s withdrawl plan. They have wanted us gone for a long time now.
So GOP fans, checkmate?

Posted by: db | July 20, 2008, 5:32 pm 5:32 pm

KC
I agree that McCain is better than the average politician on integrity but lacks intelect and independence. He has adopted Bush’s economic policies. In 2003 he said that we should not decrease taxes while we are fighting a war, That was also the time when Greenspan was lowering interest rates Our inflation today results from actions then and McCain knew what was right then but has become a follower now. Same thing was true in 2001. He said the Bush tax cuts were wrong because they favored the wealthy. He was right The gap between the wealth of the richest fifth of the nation began to rise relative to the lower four fifths.
McCain is unqualified to be a leader and Obama is in the process of leading the country even before he is elected. KC, McCain is a good man but very average and not fit to be leader of this nation.

Posted by: Ronnn | July 20, 2008, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm

Jo your funny.
Say president McCain as much as you can it’s only going to be until november…
I figure you can say President McCain as long as Bush is in office…the overlaps strong enough.

Posted by: dl | July 20, 2008, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm

Obama wants to fight terrorism. That is why he signed off on the FISA bill, that’s why he feels that we must fight in Afghanistan and negotiate with Iran. George Bush is a true patriot as Obama is and the two men agee on Afghanistan. John McCain has followed their lead.
Soon Bush and then McCain will see the necessity to take significant troops out of Iraq. They will say that Obama wanted to take them out too rapidly but he always conditioned his with prudence. That’s something Bush did not have when he invaded Iraq, no back plan and he was warned by Colin Powell to the contrary.
Obama has a winning strategy and McCain has nothing but to brag about the surge. And that is the past.

Posted by: Ronnn | July 20, 2008, 5:57 pm 5:57 pm

Republicans, if they cared about their country and do not want to cross the partisan divide would vote for Ron Paul who on the economy may be as good or better than Obama but who on terrorism and the mid east does not have the broad sweeping policy of Obama. I think Paul is stronger than Barr, but Barr is alright.
McCain on the middle east and the economy is a disaster and though in some other areas I think he is better, he does not integrate his policies the way Obama does. Obama thinks like an executive and not like a senator. Obama has already started to grow into the position that he seeks.

Posted by: Ronnn | July 20, 2008, 6:06 pm 6:06 pm

Obama only went overseas, because he was shamed into it. We all know that.
Although we all know how obama and his camp lie, He will say he had it planned all along.
Obama thinks he is God and the Greatest think on earth, He ego has gone far beyond inflated. I doubt if he will ever come back down to earth.
Just so far with his trip, he shows signs of continuing to campaign to rule the world, he will just use the USA as his gambling chip in the process of Global supremacy.

Posted by: seah | July 20, 2008, 7:10 pm 7:10 pm

I feel like taking shower when I here such words from Liberman.

Posted by: John Baiden | July 20, 2008, 7:25 pm 7:25 pm

Thank you, Mr. Lieberman, for your words of wisdom, but we already heard Guiliani say the exact same thing. I am so impressed with you grown men who don’t know what to say until the Republican National Committee issues its daily talking points.

Posted by: Truth Matters | July 20, 2008, 7:27 pm 7:27 pm

mccains hidden id. beetle bailey super hero

Posted by: rodney | July 20, 2008, 7:34 pm 7:34 pm

Hey independent, McCain is close because half the population sees that Obambi is a fake. The rest are still under his kool-aid and pretty flowery substanceless speeches.

Posted by: Pepsiholic | July 20, 2008, 7:50 pm 7:50 pm

Yeah Joe, we all know that McShame and you also created the world, started all the world wars and other wars, ignited battles, caused famines in parts of the world and delivered all of us to kingdom come!!! Enough of all your B.S, so just shut up and let us be instead of spewing all your rubbish down our throats!!

Posted by: Sareena Jones | July 20, 2008, 7:53 pm 7:53 pm

Lieberman has only one focus and that is the unequival support of Israel. He will support anything McCain says or does because McCain supports Israel a little more than Obama.
The US is already beholden to Israel, and suffered 9/11 because of our support for Israel and their oppression of Palestinians. Now we have a democratic senator supporting the republican candidate, not because it’s good for America, but because it’s good for Israel. What’s good for America is to get Israel back inside its borders and keep them there.

Posted by: sd81 | July 20, 2008, 7:55 pm 7:55 pm

Isnt Liberman the phony independent (really a republican) The one who always has to whisper in mccains ear and correct him when hes wrong on so many issuses??????????????

Posted by: angie | July 20, 2008, 7:58 pm 7:58 pm

Pepsiholic,
You are SO right. Half the country can see thru this fellow. McCain, who is far from perfect, at least is not a phony. Maybe more folks will see this as the weeks go by.

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm

angie,
Mr Lieberman is far from being a typical Republican. He is liberal in most of his views. He is like a Democrat of a few decades ago. Strong on defense but liberal on most other issues.
I am thinking that on the ONE occasion when he whispered in McCain’s ear, it was not related to an issue but to correct confusing Shiites (sp?) and Sunis in Iraq.

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 8:04 pm 8:04 pm

ben,
I am not sure I understand what you mean about Obama’s mom and republicans. Would you mind explaining?

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 8:10 pm 8:10 pm

KEEPYOURHEELSDOWN
Oh say now your saying mccain is hanging out with a liberal really oh please we all know liberman is a republican in disguise and the only thing liberman cares about and his only issuse is ISRAEL please and it has been one or more times hes had to whisper to mccain about enemies as well as countries please keepyourheelsdown who are you kidding!!

Posted by: angie | July 20, 2008, 8:19 pm 8:19 pm

My point is the republicans have become opportunistic at every turn because they realize they are going down this election cycle. Lieberman is talking silly for his man McCain, but folks like me see through this nonsense. So yes, I give Obama’s mom more credit than McCain for Obama’s existence, and therefore his ability to make this journey. I don’t support either McCain or Obama’s policies, but I would rather have Obama because of foreign policy. Ron Paul would have been a better choice for the republicans.

Posted by: Ben Straub | July 20, 2008, 8:25 pm 8:25 pm

angie,
You didnt answer my question. You only made assertions without backing them up.
I like Lieberman, but he’s still a liberal. He is pro-choice, pro high taxes, as examples. He consistently receives high liberal ratings from folks like the Americans for Democratic Action. Are you a liberal too? Are you ashamed to be one? It’s a legitimate point of view, just not one that I share.

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm

Ben
Thanks for the answer. Some folks here get so sarcastic, but you did not. I like a lot of Paul’s positions, though not his foreign policy ideas. Have a nice evening.

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 8:32 pm 8:32 pm

Keepyourheelsdown – I just try to argue points. I go with Paul’s foreign policy as well as many of his economic positions, but I do understand the arguments made by the other side. Should be interesting come November.

Posted by: Ben Straub | July 20, 2008, 8:34 pm 8:34 pm

Angie:
No one is going to change your mind!
Enjoy….
but as for me:
HILLARY OR MCCAIN
and always:
COUNTRY OVER BROKEN DOWN DNC!!!!!

Posted by: EYES WIDE OPEN | July 20, 2008, 8:51 pm 8:51 pm

EYES WIDE OPEN
I like that. As for me…
American first
Conservative next
Republican next
angie fan next. lol jk jk

Posted by: Keepyourheelsdown | July 20, 2008, 9:09 pm 9:09 pm

I didn’t know Mccain was serving in Iraq when did this happen? Its a shame this idiot tries to take credit for the Brave men and Women in harms way for political points for a war we should not have been in the first place.

Posted by: Nando, Florida | July 21, 2008, 9:36 am 9:36 am

who cares what Traitor Joe says?

Posted by: jon jon | July 21, 2008, 10:11 am 10:11 am

I don’t care to hear what Lieberman has to say about Dems, because he is no longer one.
This guy needs to go away, and do whatever after McCain loses in November.

Posted by: Steven | July 21, 2008, 10:13 am 10:13 am

Has Lieberman looked at what gave Azzam and al quaeda and al zawahiri power in the first place…
aggression by the soviets into afghanistan…just like we are doing…
it is/was their most successful recruiting tool…
any occupation is what they are fighting against in the first place…so unless we are killing the leaders of their movement this is not worth keeping sunnis and shia apart…
if al qaeda had caused a further war in Iraq as they were doing …they would have been blamed… as much as America…now it will solely be the American occupation that will be blamed.

Posted by: dl | July 21, 2008, 10:21 am 10:21 am

Joe Lieberman the Quintessential Sleazy Politician
So Mr. Lieberman makes this rediculous assertion today that if Barack Obama had been president 2 years ago, he would not have been able to visit Iraq today, it would have been too dangerous. Al Qaeda and Iranian extremists (note to current reference to Iran, the new enemy to be deathly afraid of… we better invade them too) would be running the country.
If Barack Obama had been President 8 years ago, he would not have been in Iraq and would not have cost this country so many valuable American lives, a soaring deficit and our moral standing in the world. What a great country America would still have been

Posted by: Michael Veneziano | July 21, 2008, 10:52 am 10:52 am

Joe has done it again! Please, can you throw him in the other side of the fence. He is not only a disgrace to the democratic party, but also to any avarage educated human beings. He is like a toxic and stinking waste to anyone near to him.

Posted by: junior111 | July 21, 2008, 10:54 am 10:54 am

If it wasn’t for Bush, McCain and the other war mongers..there would be no need to go to Iraq..There wouldn’t be a war in Iraq. According to Phillip Zelikow,(Bush adviser and 911 commission member)”Iraq war was launched to protect Israel.”

Posted by: joe | July 21, 2008, 10:55 am 10:55 am

a wolf in a sheeps clothing

Posted by: dnels14 | July 21, 2008, 10:57 am 10:57 am

Good Lord, why doesn’t Lieberman spend his time being constructive — kissing Hagee’s butt — rather than making a fool of himself trying to be substantive.

Posted by: Karen, New York | July 21, 2008, 11:02 am 11:02 am

Will someone with a loud voice please declare the perfectly obvious at long and dear last? If the Midland Moron and his twin had followed the advice from Obama, we wouldn’t be in that catastrophic quagmire in the first place, and anyone might visit without being blown apart. The old man sounds like the idiot at the arcade who brought a bigger hammer for the Whack-a-Mole game and kept it planted over one opening while the moles cavorted at will and the fool attempted to direct all attention to his oversized hammer.
“I’m winning! Why doncha admit I’m winning!”

Posted by: Tremonius | July 21, 2008, 11:12 am 11:12 am

If the U.S. had already withdrawn troops then he wouldn’t NEED to go over there, would he?
How can people thought to be so educated and euridite be so oblivious to the obvious?

Posted by: Michael | July 21, 2008, 11:21 am 11:21 am

Does anyone even listed to Lieberman anymore? They guy is irrelevant and come Jan 09 the Democrats are going to appoint him as Head of the Toilet Cleaning Committee.

Posted by: whcjr46 | July 21, 2008, 11:23 am 11:23 am

I like how Joe explains the facts to us – wasn’t Obama’s plan not to go to Iraq?

Posted by: Viktor | July 21, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm

If we had followed Obama’s policy we wouldn’t be stuck in this nightmare in the first place. LOL. The irony is apparently lost on Lieberman, who’s about as humorless as they come.

Posted by: SpaceCat | July 21, 2008, 2:51 pm 2:51 pm

Lie-berman is a joke.

Posted by: jack in hack | July 21, 2008, 4:01 pm 4:01 pm

“Has Lieberman looked at what gave Azzam and al quaeda and al zawahiri power in the first place… aggression by the soviets into afghanistan…”
Actually it was US-supplied Stinger missiles. The Afghans were being stuffed by the Hinds until they got that technology. What kept them in power was our walking away and not finishing the mission by rebuilding the country. By your analogy, if we do what Obama says we must in Iraq, in ten years Iraq will be Afghanistan.
I’m not saying the war made sense originally. I’m saying Obama’s grasp of military strategies is deeply naive and his grasp of international politics and history is non-existent. You might as well be voting for the guy on The Bachelor.

Posted by: len | July 21, 2008, 5:21 pm 5:21 pm

Oh dear, McCain, it is time to give up the repetitive childlike, childish mantra. NOBODY IS LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE!!!!! You are now stealing Hillary’s words about on-the-job training. McCain, didn’t you see wher it got her?
Right now McCain is trying his best to show up himself as a good Commander-in-Chief, but he just doesn’t have what it takes. John McCain is too much blustering, too much same old, same old wave of the hand, brushing off that will not advance his cause.
Why not talk about the 3.0 a.m. phone call. Would you be alert and ready for action if the phone rang at 3.00 a.m in the White House? Ahm – you know, truly, I don’t think so! Give it up! Obama is the right man for the job. This is the right time for Obama. He’s got what it takes to be Commander-in-Chief and America wants him. Oh, no! AMERICA NEEDS HIM, as does the rest of the world
I have my own conspiracy theory about what is going on right now regarding the apparent shift in the Bush Administration towards Obama’s international policy recommendations, but for now, I’d like to say, it is working and that’s OK! Is President Bush trying to increase his approval rating on Obama’s coat tail before leaving office? Is the Scretary of State using her powerful position? You go girl! John mcCain should realise that the current White Hose Staff from Top to Bottom does not want him to replace Pres. Bush, because it would be another four years of pure chaos for the country.
The world, and apparently, even the White House – can see that Obama is the right President for America at this time in its unfolding history. Perhaps there is a measure of myopia in some pockets of the country – GET OVER IT!
Now Joe Lieberman is spewing Mccain’s Rhetoric. SHOP WHINING old boys! McCain also said, ordered, told, begged, suggested even boasted and criticised: that Obama must go to Iraq. You kept on – like a little child – waving the hand and insisting that Obama should go to Iraq. You even wanted him to go with you! Why McCain, did you want some of his star quality to rub off on you? Ok, so now he has gone to Iraq and you and yours just cannot stomach the welcome he got! GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!
John McCain is already history He is an old man, a warrior, a war monger who talks tough, shakes his gun and drops off to sleep. Yet he wants to commit America to 100 years in Iraq. Who is listening and believing and liking what he touts like an old LP record stuck in a groove.

Posted by: exatlantic | July 22, 2008, 2:03 am 2:03 am

Joe Lieberman scores heavily on the side of committment to his friend.
But Oh, Poor Joe, backing a donkey instead of a Thoroughbreed.
Why don’t you just support your friend McCain the same way Walker, Texas Ranger supported —-what’s his name? Stand behind and with John McCain, but just keep your mouth shut.
Lack of military experience and serving in the military IS NOT a requirement to being President of the United States of America. If it were, Bill Clinton and many others would have never been elected or even reelected.
These two candidates are as far apart as the north pole from the south:
John McCain graduated near the bottom of his class (can’t touch Obama) poor performance (can’t touch Obama) crashed his plane more than once (clux), captured in Vietnam and made any statement he was asked to make by his captives (Whiny, frightened boy). McCain’s military experience doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
I still don’t understand why McCain is trying to become President of the United States of America he is a decrepit old man, with a vile old man’s temper.
No wonder G.W Bush is distancing himself and making sure that certain Obama recommendations are put in place to give our next Commander-in-Chief more rock star status.
You just can’t touch Obama. When God is for you, no one, no one on earth can be against you.
Unstablity and senility has long set in for John McCain. He doesn’t even know Iraq from Afghanistan. Is that why he wanted to take Obama with him to the Middle East, to lose him? ha,ha
John mcCain says Iraq and Pakistan share a common border. For your information Senator McCain, the countries bordering Iraq are: Turkey, Syria, kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the longest border is with Iran. Get it?
Pathetic, shameful McCain and Joe Lieberman – two old croonies, whining like an old LP record stuck in a groove. Go sit in your rocking chairs and talk about the good old days.

Posted by: exatlantic | July 22, 2008, 8:52 am 8:52 am

Lieberman is right, if McCain hadn’t voted for the war, there would be no reason for Obama to go there. Other things made possible by John McCain: the deaths of 4,125 American troops; $5 / gallon gas; the escape of Bin Laden into Pakistan because we didn’t have enough troops in Afghanistan; many other things to depressing to even contemplate. Way to go John McCain!

Posted by: Bob Scofield | July 22, 2008, 11:37 am 11:37 am

Okay Liberman and McCain it’s time to go sit down and watch reruns of Matlock and Murder She Wrote.Go play some Bingo or go fishing. You guys are jealous of Obama.He is a rockstar and more.Just like Tiger Woods he is talented and very capable and this threatens the statis quo. At least the senior Bush admits the jealous feeling.

Posted by: TV | July 22, 2008, 12:42 pm 12:42 pm

You dared him to go to Iraq and look what happened. The man looks like our next president. Actually he looks like a young king about to claim his throne.Look at that stride. Look at how he looks with those foreign leaders..vibrant and confident. Look at how our troops were exuberant and enthusiatic at seeing him.Obama is the right choice.Period.

Posted by: TV | July 22, 2008, 12:52 pm 12:52 pm

DEAR READERS-
OBAMA’S IDEA COULD CAUS A BIGGER PROBLEM DOWN THE ROAD AGAINST TERRORISM. GOOD FOR SEN. LIEBERMAN!
ROBERT JONES
A BLUE DOG (REAGAN ) DEMOCRAT

Posted by: Robert Jones | July 28, 2008, 12:03 pm 12:03 pm

DEAR READDERS-
GOOD FOR SEN. LIEBERMAN!
ROBERT JONES
A BLUE DOG (REAGAN) DEMOCRAT

Posted by: Robert Jones | July 28, 2008, 12:06 pm 12:06 pm

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