A Spork in the Drawer

The Mind Of A Village Idiot

Holy Joe makes it clear that he's opposed to any healthcare reform the involves a public plan ("...I don’t favor a public option because I think there’s plenty of competition in the private insurance market.” Sure, Joe, whatever you say) and demonstrates why he's a favorite of the Punditocracy:

Let’s get something done instead of having a debate.

Yes, of course, let's not have a debate. It's only politics, after all. It's not like different people have different ideas that need to be hashed out.

Honestly, I'll never understand the collective worldview of Lieberman and Broder and the rest of our self-anointed elites. For whatever psychological reason (bedrock authoritarianism? Sheer laziness?) they simply cannot stand any sort of conflict, however mild. All issues must be settled by a writ handed down from on high (and, perhaps not coincidentally, such writs always fall on the right side of the political spectrum).

Issues, ideas, politics are often messy.

Deal.

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Strained

McCain and Graham and Lieberman
Of whom you know I'm not a fan
Take to some pages
To declare that they're sages
And crow, "What clever boys we am!"

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Good Job, Barack

Holy Joe saved:

Democratic aides said Obama urged Democrats to do what it takes to keep Lieberman, who represents Connecticut, in their Senate conference where he routinely votes with them.

What this is really about:

Asked what it would mean if Lieberman kept his chairmanship, one Senate Democratic aide said bluntly: "The left has been foiled again. They can rant and rage but they still do not put the fear into folks to actually change their votes. Their influence would be in question."

Joe Lieberman = Good Democrat

Me and maybe you = Not wanted

Have fun, Dems, but I'm out.

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Same As It Ever Was

It looks as though later today the Senate Democratic Caucus is going to punish Joe Lieberman by...giving him everything he wants.

Change, indeed.

Oh, and not very smart, Mr. President-elect.

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Joe Must Go

I should just start a feature called "What Rachel Said":

Regardless of what the next president wants Holy Joe is a snake in the grass.

Just Say No To Joe

He ain't worth 60 votes.

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"Unacceptable"

Holy Joe Lieberman actually thinks that he has some leverage.

Then again, with colleagues like Reid and Evan Bayh...

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Widely Disliked

Poor Senator Sanctimony:

"Two years later, his party not only has five candidates, it also has a new platform: 'The Connecticut for Lieberman Party rejects the fraud perpetrated on the members of this party and the citizens of Connecticut by Joe Lieberman.'"

Said one member: "I wouldn't be surprised to see a Connecticut for Lieberman candidate running against Joe Lieberman in 2012."

After November Holy Joe will be out of the Democratic Caucus and his usefulness to the Republicans will be over.

Brings a tear to the eye, don't it?

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Time's Running Out...

...for Holy Joe:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) have agreed that Lieberman will no longer attend Democrats’ weekly caucus lunches or the biweekly chairmen’s lunches used to formulate policy, senior Democratic aides said Tuesday.

[...]

“Sen. Lieberman has voluntarily decided not to attend luncheons when he believes it’s likely there would be discussions of presidential politics,” spokesman Marshall Whitman said, adding that Lieberman has never been told to stay away from the luncheons.

Then this:

A Reid spokesman angrily denied that the Majority Leader had booted Lieberman from lunches.

So perhaps Harry had nothing to do with it. Or perhaps this is a face-saving cover story. At any rate, Lieberman is finished in the Democratic Party. And some other maybe have figured that out:

Lieberman’s legislative director, Joe Goffman, announced his resignation Monday. Although Goffman gave no reason for his departure, Democratic aides familiar with his decision said once work was completed on Lieberman’s climate change bill, combined with Lieberman’s convention speech, Goffman felt that it was time to move on.

It will be great fun to watch Droopy lose his committee seats, including the Chair or the Homeland Security. And it would be even more fun if Joe decided to cross the aisle and formally become a Republican. The only power he has is as a Democrat who loves the Republicans. If he crosses, he'll just be another Senator out of 100.

No wonder Lieberman is working so hard for Mavricky McStraightalk; the only political future he has is in the cabinet of a McCain Administration.

[Via Think Progress.]

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Give 'Em Hell, Harry!

Or, y'know, don't:

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), said Reid is ambivalent about Lieberman's decision. "Senator Lieberman can speak to whatever group he wants, but it's not going to change the fact that John McCain is a flawed candidate who is wrong on every issue facing the country," Manley said.

If I were the charitable type - I'm not, but if I were - I'd say Harry is waiting until after the elections to strip Holy Joe of his committee assignments. But I'm guessing that the rest of the Senate Democratic caucus is going to have to force him to boot Lieberman.

I'm not exploding with confidence.

Perhaps when the 111th. Congress convenes in January the same Senate Democratic caucus should also consider a new leader.

One with a little backbone, perhaps.

Just a suggestion.

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It's Official

But not in the least bit surprising: Holy Joe will be speaking at the Republican National Convention.

I know that many will disagree with this but if St. John chooses Lieberman to be his running mate it would all but guarantee his election. Sure, it would infuriate the base but it would cause the "news" media to jump with glee and low-information voters - those who don't know nothin' about nothin' - would, by osmosis, be mightily impressed at this act of "biprtisanship." Not to mention center-right Democrats.

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Head, Meet Desk

Oy:

Sen. McCain has just announced that he's sending his own delegation to Georgia (Sens. Lieberman and Graham) and now he's insisting that it's not a time for politics and partisanship.

Josh notes elsewhere:

President Saakashvili today told Georgians that the US military was moving in to take over control of the country's air and seaports -- which would be a pretty big deal since much of the country still appears to be an active war zone.

If St. John's freelance diplomacy isn't stopped but NOW we could be in for some very unpleasant times.

And I doubt BushCheney will stop him.

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McCain's Mini Me Speaks!

Holy Joe:

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman took a different tack, saying the ad simply compares the two candidates in a "creative" way and people should lighten up. "To some extent the appearance of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears -- people complain about it -- they should just relax and enjoy it," he said.

Interesting phrasing, Joe.

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But What Of Obama's Commitment To Andorra?

Holy Joe: Lying prick.

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Shorter Lieberman

Ahmadinejad has marched into the Rhineland and we're next!

Is it just me or is Holy Joe becoming even more crazy? Mahmood is sounding like the sane one.

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A Carbuncle On The Body Politic

Holy Joe, pariah:

If McCain were to pick Lieberman [as a running mate], more than twice as many in Connecticut would be more likely to vote against McCain than would be likely to vote for him.

Connecticut is already solid for Obama.

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Backed Into A Corner

It was earlier noted that Holy Joe had some bad things to say about presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama. It's worth pointing out that apparently Obama has noted it as well:

Furthermore, during a Senate vote Wednesday, Obama dragged Lieberman by the hand to a far corner of the Senate chamber and engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.

While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.

Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances.

Still, Obama and Lieberman seemed to be trying to keep the back-and-forth congenial as they both patted each other on the back during and after the exchange.

Afterwards, Obama smiled and pointed up at reporters peering over the edge of the press gallery for a better glimpse of their interaction.

Good for Obama. St. Joseph needs to be pushed back against as much as is possible.

(Quote from the subscription-only Roll Call)

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Shocked! Shocked I Tell You!

No one could have predicted:

On the first day of the general election campaign, the very first Republican conference call attacking presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama featured his party's 2004 vice presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Lieberman.

[...]

Lieberman, who endorsed John McCain earlier this year, has been increasingly critical of Obama — particularly his goal to end the war in Iraq. The Democrat-turned-independent has been a strong supporter of President Bush's Middle East and Iraq policies.

Obama endorsed Lieberman in his 2006 Democratic primary battle against challenger Ned Lamont. But after the Connecticut senator lost and decided to run as an independent, Obama switched his support to Lamont, who shared his opposition to the Iraq war.

And Harry Reid thinks that Holy Joe is just peachy.

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Question

Why does Holy Joe Lieberman - a Conservative Jew - support someone who praises Adolph Hitler and the Holocaust?

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The Problem

Holy Joe:

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), the Democratic Party’s 2000 vice presidential nominee, is leaving open the possibility of giving a keynote address on behalf of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) at the Republican National Convention in September.

Two top Senate Democrats:

Even though [Majority Leader Harry] Reid may not need Lieberman next Congress to claim a Senate majority, he told Lieberman in private conversations that he would protect his seniority...[w]hen asked Tuesday if Lieberman’s chairmanship was at risk next Congress, Reid said succinctly: “No.”

[...]

“We have one difference of opinion, maybe two with Sen. Lieberman,” said Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), a prominent supporter of Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) presidential candidacy. “As a whip, I can tell you time and again, he’s been there when we’ve needed him.”

One top Republican:

“I think Sen. Lieberman would be a very powerful spokesperson,” said Sen. Mel Martinez (Fla.), a former general chairman of the Republican National Committee. “I think he really is someone who helps Sen. McCain break through to independent voters.”

Furthermore, "Reid offered words of praise for the senator, saying he would not “turn on Joe.”" Apparently Harry Reid is too dim or too delusional or too corrupt to understand that Holy Joe has already turned on him.

So even if the Democrats gain 5 or 10 or 20 seats in the Senate Harry would still leave Joe on his various committees including the all important Homeland Security Committee which, under Lieberman, has yet to hold one significant oversight hearing.

The reason people see Democrats as losers is because the party is lead by cowards and weaklings like Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, Nancy Pelosi, Dianne Feinstein, &c., who don't even try to win.

And then they wonder why Democrats lose.

[Via LG&M.]

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Marx Is The New Hitler

It seems like just yesterday that Barack Obama was this year's Hitler. But last week The right took a new tack: Obama's a Communist! That's to be expected, I suppose, when it comes to the fever swamps of the right. But then Monday's NYT allowed William "The Bloody" Kristol to insinuate that Obama is, indeed, a Pinko if not an outright Red.

The New. York. Times.

And now, right on schedule, BushCo's™ favorite lapdog, the increasingly foul Holy Joe Lieberman, piles on:

NAPITALIANO: Hey Sen. Lieberman, you know Barack Obama, is he a Marxist as Bill Kristol says might be the case in today’s New York Times? Is he an elitist like your colleague Hillary Clinton says he is?

LIEBERMAN: Well, you know, I must say that’s a good question. I know him now for a little more than three years since he came into the Senate and he’s obviously very smart and he’s a good guy. I will tell ya that during this campaign, I’ve learned some things about him, about the kind of environment from which he came ideologically. And I wouldn’t…I’d hesitate to say he’s a Marxist, but he’s got some positions that are far to the left of me and I think mainstream America. [emphasis added]

And this after Obama aided Lieberman in his 2006 reelection. (And, yes, I consider this a blot on Obama's judgement.)

So perhaps, along with calling Obama "boy", we're starting to see the outlines of the GOP's autumn attacks. It's not going to be fun.

(Oh, and if Hillary picks up on the whole Communist thing I'll support all legal means to have her removed from the Senate.)

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I'm Sure An Apology Will Be Forthcoming

Caught lying:

A federal investigation has concluded that U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman's 2006 re-election campaign was to blame for the crash of its Web site the day before Connecticut's heated Aug. 8 Democratic primary.

[...]

The Lieberman campaign alleged it was the target of a "denial of service attack," which can involve bombarding a Web site with external communications to slow it or render it useless.

"Our Web site consultant assured us in the strongest terms possible that we had been attacked," former Lieberman campaign spokesman Dan Gerstein said in December 2006.

According to the FBI memo, the site crashed because Lieberman officials continually exceeded a configured limit of 100 e-mails per hour the night before the primary.

"The system administrator misinterpreted the root cause," the memo stated. "The system administrator finally declared the server was being attacked and the Lieberman campaign accused the Ned Lamont campaign. The news reported this on Aug. 8, 2006, causing additional Web traffic to visit the site.

No doubt Holy Joe will do the honorable thing. <=Sarcasm

[Via Josh.]

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Around The Bend

Holy Joe Lieberman says that Iraq is in better political shape than the US.

Relatedly, Connecticut doesn't much like the Bush kisser anymore.

All we need to do is pick up one Senate seat in November and we can chuck Loserman out of the Democratic caucus.

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Couldn't Happen Too A Nicer Guy

Holy Joe is stripped of his Democratic "superdelegate" status for endorsing St. John.

What I want to know is why was Lieberman a superdelegate in the first place. I seem to recall that he quit the Democratic party in 2006.




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Turds Of A Feather

It would be fitting:

There’s been plenty of speculation since self-described Democratic-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman started stumping for Sen. John McCain in December that Al Gore’s 2000 runningmate might reprise that role for his Republican friend.

[...]

“He’d be a great partner in any endeavor, including joining America together,” McCain said in response to a question on the Lieberman factor. “Let’s reach across the aisle, let’s work together for America. That’s what Joe Lieberman is all about.”

'nuff said.

[Via Think Progress.]

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The Obvious Answer Is The Correct Answer

Paul Kane asks:

Is Feinstein the Democrats' Next Lieberman?

Yes.

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If It's Monday...

...then it's time again for Holy Joe Lieberman (I-Bush's Pocket) to throw a hissy fit.

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Mendacious Weasel

Salon's Walter Shapiro engages Holy Joe Lieberman in an especially light-weight interview (Sub. or ad view) but does manage to extract this nugget of idiocy:

Shapiro: Let me ask you about another vote -- your vote that puzzled me the most. That was [in June] when you were the only Democrat to oppose a no-confidence against Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. This was a vote that had nothing to do with the war in Iraq. And you are both a former Connecticut attorney general and someone who remembers the politicization of the Justice Department under John Mitchell during Watergate.

Holy Joe: Let me reconstruct that. It was earlier in the year. I think I thought that it was essentially a political vote. And the question on Gonzales was ultimately -- he serves at the pleasure of the president. And that there was nothing but political intent to the resolution. Forgive me, I should go back and look that up.

Shapiro: Rather than getting into that, what do you think of Gonzales now? Do you think he should stay as attorney general?

Holy Joe: That's the question I don't answer. Look, I will say that his credibility has really been in doubt. He has handled his appearances here -- and I must apologize by saying --

Shapiro: I know that you're not on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Holy Joe: I actually haven't focused on his appearances, so I am relying now on the media as to what actually happened.

Shapiro: You're on safe ground.

Holy Joe: So based on what I have seen [in the press] and with an occasional conversation with a colleague, he did not do well and he diminished his credibility. In most administrations, the president would have asked him to leave or he would have left. So I leave it to them [the White House]. But his credibility is in doubt. And as a former attorney general, that's not a good thing. And therefore -- but I'm only a senator. To me, that's something that the attorney general should take up with the president.

So Lieberweasel can't remember why he voted against censuring Gonzalez (the vote was less than two months ago) and because he's "only a senator" he can't have any opinion on Abu Gonzo but instead thinks that it's up to the president.

Oh, and Holy Joe makes it clear that he's among the small group of people who are absolutely and undeniably correct about Iraq.

Good job, Connecticut.

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A Whole New Level Of Pathetic

Connecticut for Lieberman, a vanity political party set up by Joe Lieberman for the sole purpose of Joe Lieberman keeping his Senate seat, a vanity political party that has never fielded another candidate besides Joe Lieberman and never will, a vanity political party the has no reason to exist except to flatter Joe Lieberman...has called on Joe Lieberman to resign:

Connecticut for Lieberman Party Chairman John Orman called Tuesday for Sen. Joe Lieberman to resign, saying his advocacy of a military strike against Iran could explode into a global conflict.

"He has crossed the line," said Orman, a professor of politics at Fairfield University. "His unilateral warmongering could lead to a new World War III."

We've definitely gone through the looking glass.

[Via kos.]

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Thanks, Again, Connecticut...

...for giving us this genius:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman said Sunday the United States should consider a military strike against Iran because of Tehran's involvement in Iraq.

"I think we've got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," Lieberman said. "And to me, that would include a strike over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers."

There's no more funny with this guy.

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UPDATE: Vid here.

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Don't Come Back

Holy Joe:

CNN reports that Lieberman is on an unannounced "surprise" visit to Baghdad. Paula Hancocks followed Lieberman around. She talked to Lieberman and reported, "He said he was happy with the progress. He was devastated by the fact that May was turning in to the deadliest month since November 2004. But he said he did believe that this surge eventually would pay off and it would start to break the insurgency."

Video, if you can stand it, at the link.

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Oh Fer Cryin' Out Loud

Holy Joe Lieberman takes to the WaPo to explain how well the war is going.

I can't even bear to read it.

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ADDED: Ezra, who has a stronger constitution than I, writes:

And on and on it goes. Every few months, Lieberman pops up to identify this -- this day, this hour, this moment -- as the turning point in Iraq and warn that withdrawal will impede the improvements. Then the country descends even deeper into civil war, and he picks a new instant when everything is on the upswing and only American will stands in democracy's way. And, every time, the nation's newspaper editors let him publish, no new arguments or information needed.

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Jackass

Holy Joe:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) said today that he is upset that critics have been questioning the administration’s intelligence on Iran, calling the reaction “unwarranted.” Lieberman said the “danger point” learned from the criticism is that the media and politicians reacted with “suspicion.” “I wouldn’t start with suspicion,” Lieberman said

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Go, Joe

It's time to make Holy Joe unwelcome in the Democratic party. Beyond his siding with the Rethugs he's now taken to extortion:

So far, Lieberman is using his clout mostly in ways that discomfit his fellow Democrats, while his relationship with Republicans has involved more collaboration than coercion. When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Bush's State of the Union proposal for a bipartisan terrorism panel was redundant, Lieberman, who supported the idea, privately sent Reid a letter saying he was "upset." Within days, Reid backed down and negotiated the panel's makeup with the White House. And last month, after Lieberman told Reid he had stopped attending the weekly Democratic lunch because he didn't feel comfortable discussing Iraq there, Reid offered to hold those discussions at another time. Lieberman has started attending again.

If Weeping Joe caucuses with the GOP that would leave the Senate evenly divided with Delusional Dick as the tie-breaking vote. However, via BooMan, we find out that the Dems would still control the Senate.

As BooMan notes, forcing Lieberman out would enable actual Democrats to placed on several important committees including Homeland Security.

So go, Joe. Your extortion, your enabling of BushCo™, your colossal ego are no longer wanted. Just go.

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Useful Idiot

I speak, of course, of Holy Joe.

Now it's official: Lieberman is a tool of the GOP.

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Holy Joe

Thanks, Connecticut*, for all you've done:

Wallace: Joe Lieberman, grew up in John Bailey's CT, Democratic VP nominee—You're saying you might vote Republican in 2008?

Lieberman: I am…

Atrios:

Well, we tried to warn them. Anyway, if Joe doesn't have a prime time spot at the RNC in '08 I'll be shocked. I think he's gonna put his chips on a cabinet seat in (what he hopes will be) the next Republican administration.

*Except most Connecticut Democrats, natch.

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Thanks, Connecticut Republicans

Holy Joe reveals his new Iraq strategy:

Imus: "Well what happens when this doesn't work which is what is going to happen."

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Well, let's hope and pray it works."

Connecticut's Junior Senator in repose.

[Via C&L.]

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What A Suprise

Never afraid to break a promise or stab people in the back, Holy Joe does it again:

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the only Democrat to endorse President Bush’s new plan for Iraq, has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

Note to Isikoff and Hosenball: Joe isn't a Democrat.

Last year, when he was running for re-election in Connecticut, Lieberman was a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of Katrina. He was especially dismayed by its failure to turn over key records that could have shed light on internal White House deliberations about the hurricane, including those involving President Bush.

[...]

Phillips said that Lieberman may still follow up on some matters related to Katrina contracting. But in listing the Connecticut senator’s top priorities for the panel, she cited other areas, such as reform of homeland-security agencies and legislation promoting tighter security at U.S. seaports. Asked whether Lieberman’s new stand might feed complaints that he has become too close to the White House, Phillips responded: “The senator is an independent Democrat and answers only to the people who elected him to office and to his own conscience.”

What conscience?

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That Tears It

The War Criminal In Chief last night:

Acting on the good advice of Senator Joe Lieberman and other key members of Congress, we will form a new, bipartisan working group that will help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror. This group will meet regularly with me and my Administration, and it will help strengthen our relationship with Congress.

(Never mind that Lieberman isn't a Democrat...so much for "bipartisan.")

Holy Joe responds:

I know there are deep differences of opinion about what the President has proposed tonight. In the coming days and weeks, we should undertake respectful debate and deliberation over this new plan. But, let us also remember that excessive partisan division and rancor at home only weakens our will to prevail in this war. I am particularly pleased that the President has taken the important and necessary step of creating a bi-partisan Consultative Group consisting of representatives and leaders of the Executive and Legislative branches to address issues related to the war against global terrorism. [Emphasis added.]

(Never mind that Lieberman isn't a Democrat...so much for "bipartisan.")

Thanks, Connecticut Republicans, for giving us yet another censorious asshole.

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Know Your Friends

Then there's This:

McCain and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman -- who delivered a neoconservative pep talk that could have come off former Bush speechwriter David Frum's hard drive -- were there to formally embrace the plan.

"We have got to see it in the broader context of the war against Islamic extremism and terrorism," Lieberman said about Iraq. "The Middle East is dividing along new lines. I'm speaking here about the Arab world. And the lines are ever clearer and more intense between what I would call moderates and extremists, dictators and democrats," he intoned. "The fact is that we are engaged against an axis of Islamist extremists and terrorists. It is an axis of evil," he warned.

Thanks, Connecticut (and Republicans) for giving us this delusional fuckwit.

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Cue Nelson Muntz

Too funny:

The Connecticut for Lieberman Party, the minor political party created by Sen. Joe Lieberman for his successful independent bid for re-election, has been taken over by a longtime critic of the senator.

Fairfield University political science professor John Orman's takeover has been recognized by Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz.

Orman is the sole member of the party and filed paperwork with Bysiewicz's office naming himself chairman. The state officials accepted Orman's takeover and his bylaws which limit membership to critics of the senator and anyone named Lieberman.

[...]

Orman said he plans to use his position as party chairman to hold Lieberman accountable.

"It's a watchdog, accountability party with a line guaranteed in the next Senate race," Orman said Tuesday.

[...]

"I'll send an e-mail to critics, bloggers, opponents (of the senator's) and maybe anyone named Lieberman," Orman said.

Holy Joe reacts.

[Via kos.]

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Telegraphing

Holy Joe:

Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut said yesterday that he will caucus with Senate Democrats in the new Congress, but he would not rule out switching to the Republican caucus if he starts to feel uncomfortable among Democrats.

Joe crossing the aisle would give the Republicans effective control of the Senate.

Note to Connecticut voters: Don't say you weren't warned.

[Via kos.]

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Joe! Joe! Joe!

Jack Kelly dreams:

Though the election clearly was a repudiation of Republicans, it wasn't an endorsement of a leftward shift. The only clear-cut referendum on the Iraq war was in deep blue Connecticut, where the Senate race was won easily by the hawk, Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

Dream, Jack, dream.

(What a maroon!)

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Oh. My. God.

Just watch:

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Meltdown Joe

Jane:

Evidently after the debate Lieberman walked up to Ned and said "You goddamn sonovabitch," and something to the effect of "how dare you run those direct mail pieces accusing me of voting for the energy bill in 2005 because of campaign contributions from the oil companies." Joe's losing it.

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