by Scott Creighton
It is difficult to express the feelings I had when I read Joe Lieberman's address at the Christians United for Israel conference this morning. It's a mixed bag of shock and horror and despair for what our country's political climate has devolved into. To be honest, it is almost like watching the Towers fall all over again, because I know, very soon, this ranting lunatic of a man will be in a position of even greater power.
There was a massive call from the "J-Street" coalition and others for Lieberman to cancel his appearance at the CUFI conference mostly based on Pastor Hagee's hateful behavior and rhetoric over the past few years.
Hagee's hate runs so deep, he wrote books about it, and even started his congregation based such despotic and vile hate-speech that he called Catholicism "the Great Whore" and other things, far too many to list in this piece. Just Google it. But Lieberman showed up and spoke nontheless. And, oh, what a speech he gave.
Joe Lieberman was quick to address the many protesters that wanted him not to attend the conference. He suggested that he and Hagee did disagree on certain things (without mentioning exactly what those Hagee comments were) but that, he goes on to say, even Moses made mistakes as a leader. That's right, Lieberman, once again, compared Hagee to Moses. Believe it or not.
"Even Moses fell short of God's expectations. He made a mistake and hit the rock rather than speaking to it as God commanded. His sister, the prophetess Miriam, sinned too when she spoke badly about Moses. But this didn't make Moses and Miriam bad people or failed leaders. Their shortcomings were only part of the larger fabric of their remarkable lives of faith and service."
Isn't it amazing how Hagee's comments don't condemn his leadership ability but rather seemed to raise it to a new 'Moses hitting the rock" level, yet Rev. Wright's one impassioned speech made him public enemy #1 in Lieberman's eyes?
But "fightin Joe" didn't stop there; oh no. Why simply anoint a racist bigot to the exalted level of Moses when you can also issue a thinly veiled threat to the people that pointed his hatred out in the first place? (You see, this is how I know that those warmongers at AEI helped "Swingin Joe" write this speech; it's just too damn slick for him to have done it.)
"And that's why I would say Moses and Miriam were fortunate that they did not live in the merciless attack-counterattack political culture of our time which would undoubtedly have stressed their shortcomings and ignored their great deeds. I can only imagine what the bloggers of their day would have had to say about Moses and Miriam.It's easy to condemn someone you don't know. It's easy to take to the airwaves, or type up a blog post, and just like that, write off the life and work of another human being you've never met, on the basis of a sound bite you just heard or an old video you have just seen. That is the world that we live in.
But that is not the world we should want to live in. A person should be judged on the entire span of his or her life's works."
There is so much manipulation in these three little passages that I can almost not even begin to delve into it.
The most obvious is his hypocrisy considering how he was leading the "merciless attack-counterattack" on Rev. Wright and Obama for those few comments. So much so that Obama had to resign from his church of 20 years (he didn't HAVE to; he should have stood his ground and told hypocrites like Lieberman to take a flying leap) and even that didn't seem to appease the great Lieberman at the time.
But he is really doing here, is issuing a clear threat to the "bloggers" about the world to come. If Lieberman is tapped for the Vice Cheney role, that lawless and 4th branch of government role Cheney carved out of the very flesh of our constitution, then just imagine the "world they should want to live in." Just imagine.
Just imagine Joe's world, free of hassling bloggers that pull up those pesky quotes and videos that don't blend well with his projected image of today. Imagine how much better it will be for Mr. Lieberman when he doesn't have to worry about anyone pointing out his hypocrisy or his pandering to a powerful, yet fanatical 'endtimes" congregation, hell-bent on actually seeing the world come to a fiery end so the second coming might occur. Just imagine how free Joe will be to do and say whatever he wants; to reinvent himself, over and over again, depending on whatever political expediency he needs at the time.
Oh, yes, that is "the world we should want to live in." "Slimy Joe," but unfortunately for you right now, that isn't America. It isn't free speech; it isn't government of the people by the people or for the people. But you will fix that, won't you Joe? You got HR1955 just sitting and waiting, don't you, Joe? You'll be able to give that dimwit McCain lists of names for him to sign off on as "enemy combatants" on a weekly basis, won't you, Joe? Cuz that is "the world WE want to live in," isn't it?
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