Lieberman Warns Democrats: I May Join GOP

[warpedskydiver 0]

Lieberman Warns Democrats: I May Join GOP

NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, Feb. 23, 2007

Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut fired a shot across the bow of the Senate's Democratic majority, warning them he may bolt the party and join the GOP if Congress votes to withhold funding for the war in Iraq.

The move would give Republicans control of the Senate, since Democrats hold the majority by one vote.

Lieberman, who calls himself an "independent Democrat," has been among the strongest supporters of the war on terror and President Bush's plan for a troop surge in Iraq.

"I have no desire to change parties," Lieberman said in an interview published Thursday on politico.com. "If that ever happens, it is because I feel the majority of Democrats have gone in a direction that I don't feel comfortable with."

Lieberman cited the upcoming showdown over new funding for the war could be a deciding factor that would lure him to the GOP. Several Democrats, led by Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, have been agitating for a funding cut-off.

"I hope we don't get to that point," he said. "That's about all I will say on it today. That would hurt."

Lieberman's remarks echo earlier sentiments he expressed in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in the February edition of The New Yorker.

The Senator told Goldberg that his allegiance to the Democratic Party is based in part on sentiment and should not be considered eternal.

"A lot of Democrats are essentially pacifists and somewhat isolationists," he said, adding that he had problems with Sen. Ted Kennedy's proposal to deny President Bush funding for the troop surge, and with his fellow Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd's suggestion that Congress might cap the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Asked if he would switch parties if Democrats cut off funding for the war, Lieberman responded: "That would be stunning to me. And very hurtful. And I'd be deeply affected by it. Let's put it that way."

Though Lieberman has been loyal to his party, Senate Democrats are not reciprocating. The New Yorker reported that his Democratic colleagues "tend to indulge him, unless they are speaking to reporters off the record."

Lieberman is well aware that only five Senate Democrats campaigned for him in last year's general election, which he won as an independent over Democratic and Republican rivals, largely because GOP voters crossed party lines to support him.

Lieberman has already made clear that he will not necessarily support the next Democratic nominee for the White House.

One Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Dodd, even campaigned for Lieberman's Democratic opponent Ned Lamont in the 2006 Senate race. Sen. Hillary Clinton, the party's frontrunner for 2008, actively fundraised for Lamont.

Lieberman once described Dodd as his "best friend" in the Senate, but when asked by Goldberg if that was still the case, Lieberman said only: "I have so many good friends in the Senate. John McCain is a very good friend."

In fact, most of Lieberman's closest friends in the Senate of late are Republicans, according to the New Yorker article.

Lieberman acknowledges that at times he feels isolated, as a liberal on social policy and a conservative on defense.

He told Goldberg that he was reading "America Alone" by conservative Mark Steyn, who argues that Europe is being overwhelmed culturally and demographically by Islam.

"The thing I quote most from it is the power of demographics, in Europe particularly," Lieberman said. "But the other part is a kind of confirmation of what I know and what I've read elsewhere, which is that Islamist extremism has an ideology, and it's expansionist . . . We Americans will have ultimate responsibility for stopping this expansionism."

Those feelings are related to Lieberman's reasons for standing by the President on Iraq, he said.

"Why do I trust President Bush in spite of the mistakes that were made, consequential mistakes? Because having watched him, having talked to him, I believe that he understands the life-and-death struggle we are in with the most deadly and unconventional enemy, Islamic extremism.

"And he has shown himself, notwithstanding all these mistakes, willing to go forward with what he believes is right for the security of the country, regardless of what it has done to his popularity."

[rushmc 23]

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Lieberman Warns Democrats: I May Join GOP

NewsMax.com Wires
Friday, Feb. 23, 2007

Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut fired a shot across the bow of the Senate's Democratic majority, warning them he may bolt the party and join the GOP if Congress votes to withhold funding for the war in Iraq.

The move would give Republicans control of the Senate, since Democrats hold the majority by one vote.

Lieberman, who calls himself an "independent Democrat," has been among the strongest supporters of the war on terror and President Bush's plan for a troop surge in Iraq.

"I have no desire to change parties," Lieberman said in an interview published Thursday on politico.com. "If that ever happens, it is because I feel the majority of Democrats have gone in a direction that I don't feel comfortable with."

Lieberman cited the upcoming showdown over new funding for the war could be a deciding factor that would lure him to the GOP. Several Democrats, led by Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, have been agitating for a funding cut-off.

"I hope we don't get to that point," he said. "That's about all I will say on it today. That would hurt."

Lieberman's remarks echo earlier sentiments he expressed in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in the February edition of The New Yorker.

The Senator told Goldberg that his allegiance to the Democratic Party is based in part on sentiment and should not be considered eternal.

"A lot of Democrats are essentially pacifists and somewhat isolationists," he said, adding that he had problems with Sen. Ted Kennedy's proposal to deny President Bush funding for the troop surge, and with his fellow Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd's suggestion that Congress might cap the number of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Asked if he would switch parties if Democrats cut off funding for the war, Lieberman responded: "That would be stunning to me. And very hurtful. And I'd be deeply affected by it. Let's put it that way."

Though Lieberman has been loyal to his party, Senate Democrats are not reciprocating. The New Yorker reported that his Democratic colleagues "tend to indulge him, unless they are speaking to reporters off the record."

Lieberman is well aware that only five Senate Democrats campaigned for him in last year's general election, which he won as an independent over Democratic and Republican rivals, largely because GOP voters crossed party lines to support him.

Lieberman has already made clear that he will not necessarily support the next Democratic nominee for the White House.

One Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Dodd, even campaigned for Lieberman's Democratic opponent Ned Lamont in the 2006 Senate race. Sen. Hillary Clinton, the party's frontrunner for 2008, actively fundraised for Lamont.

Lieberman once described Dodd as his "best friend" in the Senate, but when asked by Goldberg if that was still the case, Lieberman said only: "I have so many good friends in the Senate. John McCain is a very good friend."

In fact, most of Lieberman's closest friends in the Senate of late are Republicans, according to the New Yorker article.

Lieberman acknowledges that at times he feels isolated, as a liberal on social policy and a conservative on defense.

He told Goldberg that he was reading "America Alone" by conservative Mark Steyn, who argues that Europe is being overwhelmed culturally and demographically by Islam.

"The thing I quote most from it is the power of demographics, in Europe particularly," Lieberman said. "But the other part is a kind of confirmation of what I know and what I've read elsewhere, which is that Islamist extremism has an ideology, and it's expansionist . . . We Americans will have ultimate responsibility for stopping this expansionism."

Those feelings are related to Lieberman's reasons for standing by the President on Iraq, he said.

"Why do I trust President Bush in spite of the mistakes that were made, consequential mistakes? Because having watched him, having talked to him, I believe that he understands the life-and-death struggle we are in with the most deadly and unconventional enemy, Islamic extremism.

"And he has shown himself, notwithstanding all these mistakes, willing to go forward with what he believes is right for the security of the country, regardless of what it has done to his popularity."

they loved Jumpin Jim, can you imagine (to steel a term from you) the "shit storm" Jumpin Joe would cause??

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[narcimund 0]

Nothing says you care quite so much as quoting 700 words then adding a one-liner.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[Gawain 0]

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Nothing says you care quite so much as quoting 700 words then adding a one-liner.

Okay, that made me laugh...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Lucky... 0]

Lieberman is a POS, always has been, at least we can't say the Dems were duped as I think it was 2/3 of his votes came from Repubs. No one was fooled, everyone knew he has always been a Repug, hell, he voted for the war and fully supported it even as a Dem, then the Dems failed to nominate him in the primaries for last Nov's election.

I hope he does switch prties he caucuses with and becomes full-blooded Nazi, then see how the country switches even harder to teh left and he is out in 6. Sometimes it takes radical action to get even a bigger swing. The way teh coubtry is going I would think a conservative would seek moderation to stop the bleeding.... they're going to get such a strong kneejerk reaction that things will be left for decades as teh sting rolls on.

I think there is absolute data to determine that the reds are lousy fiscals, if OBama turns the debt neutral or lowers it, it will be further obvious, esp if he does so with a Dem Congress. WHEN Obama gets elected it will be funny watching the Repubs try not to throw racist inferences out as they describe dislike for him.

[Andrewwhyte 1]

They let jews in the GOP now? What's next, catholics?

[Lucky... 0]

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They let jews in the GOP now? What's next, catholics?

No, they still murder Catholics (JFK)

[warpedskydiver 0]

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No, they still murder Catholics (JFK)

You might want to explain yourseslf lucky, that is a pretty broad statement.

[Lucky... 0]

I made 2 statements, which part of which post?

[mnealtx 0]

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WHEN Obama gets elected it will be funny watching the Repubs try not to throw racist inferences out as they describe dislike for him.

Michael Steele - "Oreo"

Colin Powell - "house nigger"

Condoleza Rice - "Aunt Jemima"?

Make a guess as to which party those attacks came from? (I'll give you a hint - it didn't start with an "R")

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Andy9o8 2]

Lieberman's enhanced influence is not to be underestimated. We don't see it often in the US, where we don't have parliamentary government that can be overturned by a vote of no confidence, and we only have 2 major parties. In multi-party parliamentary systems, minority politicians often hold the key to a coalition government, and can bring the govt down by withdrawing their support. Lieberman holds that special kind of influence in the Senate today: all he has to do is shift party caucus, and the Dem control of the Senate is gone, much the way Jim Jeffords did it to the Repubs several years ago.

[Andy9o8 2]

Oh, yawn. Ask John McCain which is the party of truly filthy, consistently reptilian politics (push-polling in S. Carolina about his "black baby"). Ask veterans what was done to Max Cleland. You can preach to the choir all you want, but you'll never convince any undecided or independent voters that it's not the Repubs. It's not even worth the bandwidth arguing about.

[NCclimber 0]

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Oh, yawn. Ask John McCain which is the party of truly filthy, consistently reptilian politics (push-polling in S. Carolina about his "black baby"). Ask veterans what was done to Max Cleland. You can preach to the choir all you want, but you'll never convince any undecided or independent voters that it's not the Repubs. It's not even worth the bandwidth arguing about.

It is interesting to see how blatantly racist statements against conservatives or by supposed liberals get downplayed. House slave? Brown Sugar? Referring to the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists as the “Nigger” labor organization? A US Sentator uses the same N-word on national TV, in 2001?

No double standard here folks. Move along.

No. Really. Who says it is what matters.

[idrankwhat 0]

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Lieberman Warns Democrats: I May Join GOP

Originally I couldn't quite figure out why he was always so pro-Iraq war....then it hit me. Duh. Someone needs to remind him that he swore to uphold the Constitution of the UNITED STATES when it came to the use of its military. Who's security is he more concerned with?
Maybe if he jumps ship the debate will follow with him, but I doubt it, especially if Anna Nicole Smith is still above ground.

[Lucky... 0]

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Quote

WHEN Obama gets elected it will be funny watching the Repubs try not to throw racist inferences out as they describe dislike for him.

Michael Steele - "Oreo"

Colin Powell - "house nigger"

Condoleza Rice - "Aunt Jemima"?

Make a guess as to which party those attacks came from? (I'll give you a hint - it didn't start with an "R")

How about an "N?"

Cite them with url and make your point.

[rehmwa 2]

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Maybe if he jumps ship the debate will follow with him, but I doubt it, especially if Anna Nicole Smith is still above ground.

How is that? Joe Leiberman shaved his head and wants to bury it in rehab in the Bahamas?

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[idrankwhat 0]

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Maybe if he jumps ship the debate will follow with him, but I doubt it, especially if Anna Nicole Smith is still above ground.

How is that? Joe Leiberman shaved his head and wants to bury it in rehab in the Bahamas?

Hey now, a headless Lieberman? Now THAT would probably keep him in the headlines for a while. He's not attractive enough otherwise. But if you think about it, even without his head he'd probably just as effective a legislator as the rest of the bunch.

[rehmwa 2]

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But if you think about it, even without his head he'd probably just as effective a legislator as the rest of the bunch.

If I think about it, he could probably be more effective and could lead both parties simultaneously.

He'd definitely have more intelligent things to say than any of them.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[idrankwhat 0]

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But if you think about it, even without his head he'd probably just as effective a legislator as the rest of the bunch.

If I think about it, he could probably be more effective and could lead both parties simultaneously.

He'd definitely have more intelligent things to say than any of them.

Maybe so, provided that he stay away from commenting on the Iraq war or our national security. He clearly is not concerned with our best interests in that arena.

[rehmwa 2]

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Maybe so, provided that he stay away from commenting on the Iraq war or our national security. He clearly is not concerned with our best interests in that arena.

er, a headless, hairless Leiberman wouldn't say anything about any issue. (thus making him smarter than every single dem or rep congressman who remain with their heads on - pickled and otherwise).

He'd 'clearly' be sincere in having no comment.

If you can't stay on the mockery tangent, then I have nothing further to say to you. Good day, sir.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[idrankwhat 0]

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er, a headless, hairless Leiberman wouldn't say anything about any issue. (thus making him smarter than every single dem or rep congressman who remain with their heads on - pickled and otherwise).

He'd 'clearly' be sincere in having no comment.

If you can't stay on the mockery tangent, then I have nothing further to say to you. Good day, sir.

My sincerest apologies sir. I erroneously allowed myself to drift from the levity for a moment thinking, much to my embarrassment, that you had succumbed to a notion of genuine forthrightness. Clearly, the culpability is mine alone and I would be most humbled if you were to find it within yourself to exculpate this offender.

[rehmwa 2]

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exculpate this offender.

Does that mean to dig up? Or to fasten ribbons to? or to coat with dog food?

I always forget.

either way, I am not confortable with any of those

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[idrankwhat 0]

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exculpate this offender.

Does that mean to dig up? Or to fasten ribbons to? or to coat with dog food?

I always forget.

either way, I am not confortable with any of those

Sorry if I strayed from the idiom. That's just some purty talk that I probably picked up from Blazing Saddles.