June 22, 2006
NO ORDINARY JOE'S FOR THEM:
Lieberman's 'Little Fun' in Animated Ad Rankles Opponent (Zachary A. Goldfarb, June 21, 2006, Washington Post)
A couple of old hands in Connecticut politics are ganging up on Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D).George Jepsen, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party and former state Senate majority leader, on Monday endorsed the candidacy of Ned Lamont, a businessman who is closing in on Lieberman in the polls. Lamont's support has come largely from antiwar activists angry with Lieberman's stance on Iraq. Jepsen's endorsement follows one from former senator Lowell P. Weicker Jr., who was defeated by Lieberman in 1988.
"It's a very difficult decision, because I've known Joe Lieberman for 20-odd years, and I like him and I thought he's sincere in what he believes," Jepsen said. "But it's become increasingly clear on most of the major issues of the day that I don't share his values. . . . I personally believe the war is possibly the worst foreign policy mistake of the post-World War II era, and Joe has been an enabler of that."
Meanwhile, Mr. Lieberman is pretty nearly the only national Democrat who most of the country thinks might share their Judeo-Christian values.
MORE:
Lieberman Vs. the Democrats (Harold Meyerson, June 21, 2006, Washington Post)
Lieberman's problem is not that he faces expulsion from a sect but that he has chosen to stand outside what remains a big, messy tent of a party. Moreover, he seems to have reversed the roles that the two parties play when it comes to Iraq.By criticizing the president on the war, he has said, the Democrats are playing partisan politics. His opponent, Lieberman told Broder, criticized him for breaking "Democratic unity. . . . Well, dammit, I wasn't thinking about Democratic unity. It was a moment to put the national interest above partisan interest."
How's that again? To criticize Bush on the war is partisan, while refusing to criticize Bush on the war affirms the national interest? That's taking a rather partisan -- a pro-Bush partisan -- view of the national interest.
Substitute either "President" or "government" for "Bush partisan" and Mr. Meyerson's point, such as it is, evaporates. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 22, 2006 12:10 AM
"The war is the worst foreign policy mistake in the post-WWII era..."
Funny how Mr. Jepsen forgets about Vietnam, Cuba, Tehran.
There are reasons that state legislators don't know diddly about foreign policy, and he has just demonstrated one.
The Democratic party no longer knows what the national interest is.
Posted by: jim hamlen at June 22, 2006 10:20 AMThe picture of a party struggling to get rid of an incumbent who would be a walkover in the general election -- because he does better among Republicans and independents than Democrats -- is just endlessly amusing.
Posted by: David Cohen at June 22, 2006 1:50 PM