"When all who are honestly mistaken hear the truth, they will either quit being mistaken or cease being honest."
Joe Lieberman knows the truth about what has gone on in Washington for the past five years. He knows how the GOP has slammed the president's agenda down the collective throats of Americans without regard for what they want. He has seen the rubber stamp Congress display such egregious acts of partisanship that the entire Legislative Branch of our government has rendered itself irrelevant. He watched as the president has violated over 800 laws of Congress by using his signing statements. He has watched as the GOP Congress has lobbied for torture, illegal spying and sold it's principles out for its party. Despite the overwhelming public reaction against the prospect of privatizing Social Security, Joe Lieberman has watched as the GOP has allowed the president to backdoor it into the budget. The Republican Party has had complete control of the government for five years now and has embodied partisanship. Any meaningful investigations into this administration or voting irregularities were quashed out of hand by the GOP Congress. The democrats on the other hand have joined the president on many pieces of legislation, including the horrific Patriot Act, the fundless No Child Left Behind Act, and even the baseless Iraq War. The truth, which Joe Lieberman knows all too well, is that the Democratic Party has played far too nice for the past five years as the GOP has done what they want, when they wanted, and snubbed the dems at every turn. Even when the Democratic Party tried to exercise its constitutional right to filibuster extreme court appointees, the Republican Party threatened to undo two centuries of checks and balances and remove the right to filibuster. The democrats cowered and caved in, allowing ideologues to lie to their faces during the confirmation process and eventually be appointed. Joe Lieberman knows all of this because he was a witness to it and a party to it.
Thus it begs the question what he can possibly be thinking after deciding to run as an independent this fall. Lieberman was put into this position because he lost his primary to newcomer, Ned Lamont. Despite his ridiculous sports analogies, Lieberman is not just "behind" at halftime. He LOST the game. Lieberman however is a sore loser and apparently has decided to take his ball and screw the Democratic Party and the entire nation. The rumor this past week was that Karl Rove reached out to Lieberman to help him get re-elected. If you heard the Rovian spin from Lieberman after this week's alleged terror plot was foiled, you would have to assume he took Karl up on his offer. Lieberman took the opportunity to slam Lamont, his party's nominee, for his insistence that we listen to the American people and withdraw our troops from Iraq. Lieberman then did his best Karl Rove imitation and said that withdrawal would embolden the people who were plotting the UK terror strike. This is Karl Rove 101. Demonize anyone who does not agree we should stay in Iraq by painting them weak on terror while shamelessly using events such as the UK terror arrests for political gain.
It is obvious why Karl Rove would want to help Lieberman. A fractured Democratic Party in November can easily lead to either a republican victory, or at worst, a Lieberman re-election. A re-elected Lieberman will be beholden to Rove and the GOP, will be free to pretend to be "independent", and will help the GOP avoid their greatest nightmare, Ned Lamont in the Senate.
It is harder to understand why Joe Lieberman however would accept the help of someone he knows has ruined this country for five years now. Why would Lieberman tell his constituents that he no longer cares about their will, which is what the election represented? His answer this week was quoted as follows:
"I'm going forward because I am fed up with all the partisanship in Washington that stops us from getting anything done."
Say what? There is only one party in complete control that has the ability to exhibit partisanship and that is the party Lieberman helps by running as an independent. Joe Lieberman has sold out his party by not supporting the duly elected candidate as displayed by the will of the people. Joe Lieberman has sold out his soul by aligning himself with the very people that have led to the decay in this country, in our civil liberties, and in our collective conscience. Joe Lieberman has seen the truth for the past five years and in the end, when faced with his own political mortality, he has decided to look the other way. Joe Lieberman is not honestly mistaken, he has simply ceased being honest.
Lieberman said this week that while he considers himself a devoted democrat, he is even more devoted to his state and his country. Nonsense. If Joe Lieberman was concerned about his state, he would adhere to the will of the people who voted for Ned Lamont over him. If he cared about the country, he would realize that his running as an independent only helps the GOP, who have decimated this country for five years now. In the end, this selfish decision has left no doubt that the only thing Joe Lieberman is truly devoted to, is Joe Lieberman.
