Can you imagine how nice it would be to hear these words coming from Harry Reid's lips next week?
The American public voted for change, and we think Joe understands that, and we have to respond to that vote. So we hope Joe helps us achieve that change in his new role within the Democratic caucus.
The problem with Joe Lieberman is not just that he spent 2008 trashing Barack Obama and the Democratic Party — it's that he did so to maintain the status quo, particularly on Iraq and national security policy.
With friends like McCain, who needs Democrats! Last night on Leno, McCain fawned over Lieberman in a nauseating display of affection. When Leno asked McCain whether Lieberman's unbridled support for him during the election will cost Lieberman his chairmanship on the Homeland Security Committee, McCain said, "I hope not…on national security issues, he’s really, really good."
Really, really good?
Are we talking about the same Lieberman who voted against banning waterboarding and refused to say whether it consituted torture? The same Lieberman who fear-mongered about Iran, claiming the United States must bomb them because they represent an "existential threat" to Israel and the United States? The same Lieberman who has staunchly backed Bush's war in Iraq every step of the way and even linked it to 9/11? The same Lieberman who refused to investigate Blackwater or any other war profiteer, even after the mercenary firm killed 17 Iraqi civilians in Nisoor Square? (As Think Progress reveals in their detailed report, the list goes on and on.)
McCain must have meant that when it comes to national security issues, Lieberman is "really, really good" to the Republican neocons who share his hawkish views.
Lieberman has abused his power in the Democratic caucus. That's why we're asking the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to take his gavel away. You can take action by calling the Senators on this committee today and telling them that Lieberman Must Go!
Joe Lieberman has launched consistent, deeply partisan attacks on President-elect Barack Obama, questioning his patriotism and fitness to lead. While Lieberman campaigned for John McCain and spoke on his behalf at the Republican National Convention, he spread some of the GOP's nastiest smears. Think Progress has provided thorough evidence of Lieberman's partisan politics. Lieberman should not be allowed to have subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In fact, he should not be allowed to remain chairman of this or any other committee.
Lieberman has proven he cannot be trusted to hold a high rank within the Democratic caucus. That is why we launched Lieberman Must Go last summer, a campaign that caught Congress' attention when we delivered a petition with over 43,000 signatures. Now, we ask you to help us escalate the pressure by contacting members of the Senate Democratic Steering Committee. Tell them to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship in the Democratic caucus.
Democrats are on the verge of heeding our calls to boot Joe Lieberman from the caucus. Soon after the Democrats' landslide victory, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) confronted the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent-turned-McCain cheerleader about his vicious attacks against Obama during the past year. According to The Huffington Post, Reid sought to strip Lieberman of his rank as chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. It is a move that's long overdue.
There's no question that Lieberman must be punished for behaving like a right-wing attack dog. In addition to campaigning with John McCain and speaking at the Republican National Convention, Lieberman has embraced neoconservative views on the Iraq war to the detriment of his former party. He has also maligned President-elect Obama throughout this election, trumpeting some of the most vile smears the GOP had to offer. And yet Democrats have been reluctant to kick him to the curb until now out of fears of losing their slim majority in the Senate (which was always something of a dubious concern, considering Lieberman still put the Dems in the minority by voting with Republicans time and time again on national security issues and the Iraq war).
Make no mistake, Lieberman cannot be trusted. Not only is he a Republican, but he is the kind of Republican who embodies the divisive, hawkish agenda and fear-mongering espoused by George Bush, Dick Cheney, and John McCain. Perhaps that is why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has invited Lieberman to join the Republican party once and for all. Of course, Lieberman is also an opportunist, so if the Democrats offer him another gavel within the party like Chairmanship of Veterans' Affairs (a colossal mistake considering his heinous record of voting against vets), Lieberman is likely to take it.
While the Democrats vacillate about what to do with Lieberman, we have to make our message clear. As David Sirota points out at Open Left, it is extremely dangerous for Lieberman to remain chair of the Homeland Security Committee, particularly when that position gives him subpoena power to investigate the Obama administration. But it would be equally harmful to keep Lieberman in the caucus altogether. Lieberman Must Go — the sooner, the better.
"Lord knows I have a lot to repent for," Joe Lieberman told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell last week on Yom Kippur. He was kidding, or was he? After all, Lieberman has been nothing short of an ideological Benedict Arnold this past year. He stabbed Democrats in the back by endorsing and campaigning hard for John McCain, slinging mud at Barack Obama, and then speaking at the Republican National Convention — a betrayal not just of his former party but of his former political convictions as well.
This betrayal is what led Brave New Films to launch the Lieberman Must Go campaign over the summer. But while we successfully compelled the Senate Democratic Steering Committee to take notice of our petition calling for them to strip Lieberman of his rank within the caucus next January, Lieberman still has not repented for his political sins.
