Democrats and other assorted leftists, full of defeatist fervor over the war in Iraq, are turning their resentment against Sen. Joe Lieberman.
In public statements and a newspaper column, Lieberman has argued that Bush has a strategy for victory in Iraq, has dismissed calls for the president to set a timetable for troop withdrawal, and has warned that it would be a "colossal mistake" for the Democratic leadership to "lose its will" at this critical point in the war.Lieberman's contrarian behavior is not out of character -- he is far more hawkish than the majority of Democrats, and he has vigorously backed invading Iraq and toppling Saddam Hussein from the beginning. But the latest defense of Bush and his stinging salvos at some in his own party have infuriated Democrats, who say he is undercutting their effort to forge a consensus on the war and draw clear distinctions with Republicans before the 2006 elections.
Liberal political groups, including Democracy for America and MoveOn.org, are considering ways to retaliate, including backing a challenge to Lieberman in next year's Democratic primary. Former senator and Connecticut governor Lowell P. Weicker Jr., an opponent of the war, has vowed to run as an independent, absent a strong Democratic or Republican challenge to Lieberman.
Smokin' Joe isn't backing down.
[A]t a Tuesday news conference on Iraq, Lieberman gave his party a tongue-lashing for pressing Bush too forcefully."History will judge us harshly if we do not stretch across the divide of distrust to join together to complete our mission successfully in Iraq," Lieberman said. "It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril."
Years ago, Lieberman would have been remarkably ordinary in his willingness to put America first during a time of war. Now he's rapidly becoming a pariah to his own party.
Call Zell Miller, Joe - he'll provide moral support.
Related:
• Joe Lieberman - Our Troops Must Stay (WSJ)
• Joe Lieberman - official Senate site