Joe-Fo
The Associated Press reported today that Connecticut Senator, Joe Lieberman has called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to resign. Lieberman was quoted on the CBS news program, Face The Nation, as saying, "With all respect to Don Rumsfeld, who has done a grueling job for six years, we would benefit from new leadership to work with our military in Iraq." An unusual turn of events for the Democratic Senator who is largely viewed as being a strong supporter of the Iraq campaign.
An unusual turn and a hypocritical one at that.
It's news to no one that Lieberman recently lost the Democratic primary to newcomer Ned LaMont, or that the result appears to be a rebuke for the Senator's close alignment with the policies of the Bush Administration. So why the change of heart now? Call me cynical, but it appears that Senator Lieberman is trying to reinvent himself as a moderate on the Iraq situation.
There's just one minour problem... it lacks any shred of credibility.
Joe Lieberman lost all credibility when he decided to run for re-election as a democrat, participated in the democratic primary, lost the primary, and then would not concede to the will of the voting members of the Democratic Party. Now that he has decided to run as an independent, his latest statement is an obvious attempt to move, if not to the left, certainly, to the middle. Think about it. If he really feels that Iraq has been so badly botched that the best redress is for the Secretary of Defense to resign, why didn't he say it two weeks ago? The reason is this. He doesn't believe it. Joe Lieberman as honourable as he once appeared, seems to have lost his ethical center. So when he calls for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation, it just sounds fraudulent. Like the athlete who hangs on for one too many seasons, he seems unable to let go. It's become about him instead of the job. And that's the strongest reason why Connecticut voters should overwhelmingly defeat his independent candidacy.
The really sad thing is that Senator Lieberman's statements and actions have not only disrespected the voters and democratic process, but have also tarnished what had been a very admirable Senatorial career.
Say it ain't so, Joe.
An unusual turn and a hypocritical one at that.
It's news to no one that Lieberman recently lost the Democratic primary to newcomer Ned LaMont, or that the result appears to be a rebuke for the Senator's close alignment with the policies of the Bush Administration. So why the change of heart now? Call me cynical, but it appears that Senator Lieberman is trying to reinvent himself as a moderate on the Iraq situation.
There's just one minour problem... it lacks any shred of credibility.
Joe Lieberman lost all credibility when he decided to run for re-election as a democrat, participated in the democratic primary, lost the primary, and then would not concede to the will of the voting members of the Democratic Party. Now that he has decided to run as an independent, his latest statement is an obvious attempt to move, if not to the left, certainly, to the middle. Think about it. If he really feels that Iraq has been so badly botched that the best redress is for the Secretary of Defense to resign, why didn't he say it two weeks ago? The reason is this. He doesn't believe it. Joe Lieberman as honourable as he once appeared, seems to have lost his ethical center. So when he calls for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation, it just sounds fraudulent. Like the athlete who hangs on for one too many seasons, he seems unable to let go. It's become about him instead of the job. And that's the strongest reason why Connecticut voters should overwhelmingly defeat his independent candidacy.
The really sad thing is that Senator Lieberman's statements and actions have not only disrespected the voters and democratic process, but have also tarnished what had been a very admirable Senatorial career.
Say it ain't so, Joe.
posted by John Fracchia at 12:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home