Lieberman defends 1998 rebuke of Clinton

[Left Coast Lynn]

STRATFORD, Conn. - Sen. Joe Lieberman defended his reprimand of former President Clinton for his involvement with a White House intern, dismissing rival Ned Lamont's claim that he turned the 1998 rebuke into a spectacle.

"It was important for someone who was a Democrat to stand up and call on him publicly to accept more responsibility for what he had done," Lieberman said Friday. "In that case, I stood up and did what I believed was right for our country."

In September 1998, as the sex scandal raged, the Connecticut senator was the first prominent Democratic lawmaker to openly criticize Clinton's conduct with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the Senate floor, Lieberman spoke about being "personally angry because Clinton had, by his disgraceful behavior, jeopardized his administration's historic record of accomplishment."...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060909/ap_on_el_se/connecticut_senate;_ylt=AtzIgWDpCNT39xNCdedvm46yFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[babylonsister]

1. Ole 'turn-on-a-dime' Lieberman strikes again. Tell me again why

Clinton campaigned for him prior to the primary?

[IndianaGreen]

4. Perhaps Big Dog is a bigger man than Judas Joe

I seem to recall that Clinton campaigned on the condition that Lieberman would not run as an indy were he to lose the primary.

[babylonsister]

5. We can't both be wrong; I recall the same thing. So much for

trusting Judas Joe (great moniker!).

[stepnw1f]

10. Judas Joe!!!! I Love It!!!! Bumpersticker Time! (nt)

[IndianaGreen]

2. This from the same man that remains silent about Bush's WMD lies!

I don't think the word hypocrisy is sufficient to characterize Lieberman's character.

[ccpup]

3. And THAT's what we should

be blanketing the media, his campaign and the voters of CT with. If he found it fitting to rail against Clinton's BJ, why isn't he railing against bush's lies?!

[me b zola]

22. That is exactly the point!

If this gas bag believes that it is so important to governance to call Clinton out over his BJ, I cannot begin to understand his rational for aiding and abetting a bastard pResident who has knowingly committed numerous crimes against the Constitution!

Lieberman is a hypocritical, duplicitous, self-serving, rw plant in the Democratic Party and needs to be retired!

[TankLV]

32. and in fact SCOLDS OTHER DEMOCRATS for justly criticizing bush*

and the REPUKES for this bush*/repuke war!

[biscotti]

6. Go Cheney yourself holy joe!

[ChiciB1]

7. Well Maybe THIS Will Cook His Goose!

Seems to me that he just stepped into his own pile of S--t!! How can CT Democrats still think of this guy as being reputable? Kind of makes Joe look even more self-centered than ever!!

Look at me, I'm Mr. Morality! When all along, he just wants to screw anyone who gets in his way! Clinton ought to do a real "smack down" about now!! That is all it would take and Mr. Lie would be "toast!" At least that's what I think and that's what I would do!

C'mon Big Dawg... go get 'em!!

[JerseygirlCT]

8. But what he won't answer

is if it was so important to castigate Clinton then, why has it never risen to the same level of importance with Bush?

[IndianaGreen]

9. To Joe, like all repukes, sexual immorality is a greater sin than...

an immoral war!

[JerseygirlCT]

13. I'm still not sure his horror at Clinton's great sin was entirely

sincere.

I smelled a whole lot of political hay-making then, and I still think the opportunity to boost himself was too good to pass up.

[Psephos]

11. Forget the messenger; Gore would be president now except for Clinton

You can only steal an election when the vote is close.

Who doesn't think Clinton cost at least one or two percent of Gore's votes? Probably a lot more than that. I could care less what he did sexually, it's his political recklessness that grinds me every time I think about who could have been in the White House. If.

Peace.

[agincourt]

14. I don't agree,

Clinton didn't cost Gore the election. The Clinton haters wetted themselves over Monica's dress.
The thinking Americans saw it as it was, a setup by a crooked special prosecutor, a packed Supreme court, a GOP fellating media, and a rotten to the core GOP congress to overturn the 1996 election. If Clinton would have resigned they immediately would have tried to frame Gore. There is no middle ground in dealing with extremists or "conservatives".

[IndianaGreen]

15. Gore actually won Florida

and Kerry did carry Ohio!

Where massive illegality afflicts an election campaign and a voting process, the result is not legitimate. It therefore cannot be accepted as legitimate. In Ohio in 2004, there was undeniable, massive partisan interference in access to voting machines - which I witnessed with my own eyes - and many other improprieties in the count. It doesn't matter whether Bush won Ohio or not. He won it - if he won it - illegitimately, by techniques that amount to unprosecuted crimes. Therefore, his second term is as illegitimate as his first. The same will now be true of Felipe Calderón.

Meanwhile, American democrats have much to learn from our Mexican friends, who have been fighting for democracy far more toughly than we did, in 2000 or 2004.

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0907-27.htm

[Psephos]

17. That's my point exactly

When the vote is close, tallies can be manipulated to give the edge to one party or another. There is a limit to how many votes can be manipulated, though, before the evidence becomes too hard to disguise.

I remember an NCAA tournament game between Michigan State and Kansas where State was ahead by a point at the end of the game. There was a clock malfunction that the refs didn't notice, and Kansas scored after time had expired. The points went on the board anyway, even though replays showed that time was clearly out, and Kansas advanced to the next round, and State went home. My point is that if State had been ahead by, say, eight points, that situation couldn't have happened. Same with Gore in Florida.

There are a lot of voters in the middle who would have voted for Gore had they not been disgusted with the Clintons. Enough to not only put Florida solidly in Gore's column, but other states, too. That election should not have even been close. Gore represented the continuation of eight years of golden times in America.

I'm speaking only as a political observer here. Clinton may be a great politician on the podium, and a good executive in the Oval Office, but his recklessness cost him plenty, and cost Gore what should have been a decisive victory.

My opinion, nothing more, nothing less.

Peace.

[PurityOfEssence]

12. A deep, deep, deep moral asshole. He's a Quisling of the first order

This was selfish grandstanding on his part and extreme righteousness. I'm torn when dealing with this prick because his voting record on the environment and workers' rights is quite good. That's all I can say about him that's not damning, though: he's a tool of the insurance industry and quashed the Enron investigation. He's a fundamentalist (orthodox) creep who wants to force his beliefs on us all. He's a cynical maneuverer with an agenda that is mostly about him.

Had he not stood up and ratfucked Clinton, he'd be even more of a nobody than he is today. This was done mostly for self-advancement, and to Gore's enduring ignominy, it put him on the ticket. The duplicity and cowardice of that episode is undeniable and deeply ugly. Shame on them both. Lieberman REALLY deserves our disgust, but Gore should just get a shaking of the head for being an idiotic appeaser.

[AX10]

16. Lieberman is not a Democrat. He is more than willing to condemn...

Clinton for a sexual affair yet apologizes for Bush lying us into an unneeded war.

[mac56]

18. I mentioned in another thread

the Freudian slip he made here.

Key phrase: "...someone who was a Democrat..." (Emphasis added.)

Joe said himself a mouthful.

[catnhatnh]

19. Fair enough.....

I was born and raised in Stratford Connecticut,and since the dateline comes from there, I feel it is important for someone from Stratford Connecticut to weigh in on Mr. Lieberman's remarks...I call on you, publicly to accept ALL responsibility for what you have done...In this case I will stand up and do what I believe is right for "our" country.And yes, like you I am personally angry at the actions of someone I thought better of...

Mr. Lieberman,you are done,deader than a doornail and as dead as Marley's ghost...which part do you not get???I hear how you are a student of history-did you not see it pass you by?Do you not at this point realize the absolute disdain that I as most Connecticut Democrats feel for you???Yes,I live in New Hampshire now,but I have met you and supported you in the past.Please read the trend and walk away for now-there is a time,two, four, or six years down the road when you again could be of interest to the party-but until then,you are just "pissing in the soup"...

[Vidar]

20. Proud of being a traitor.

[madmusic]

21. So 9/11 was Lieberman's fault, not Clinton's.

If Lieberman wasn't so "personally angry" and so worried about Clinton's "historic record of accomplishment," and if he didn't distract Clinton from the terrorists, Clinton could have stopped 9/11.

Therefore, it's all Lieberman's fault.

[Skip Intro]

23. No, Joe. You played the repuke puppet just like you do now.

Makes me wonder what really went on in the 2000 selection - what role did you play, joe?

"was a Democrat" is right.

He's like a whiny zell miller.

To hell with them both.

[JI7]

24. "I stood up and did what I believed was right for our country."

so Clinton apologizing for the bj was right for our country.

but it's wrong for Dems(or anyone) to call Bush out on his lies concerning foreign policy and especially war ?

WTF????????????

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

25. Only one comment

[raysr]

26. I like to pay for Lieberman

to have a visit with Hezbollah. Just a friendly chat you know.

[leesa]

27. What a filthy man this is.

So standing up and condemning Bush for lying us into an illegal war is not the right thing for this country, eh?

[arewenotdemo]

28. A disgusting worm

[President Kerry]

29. No, Joe. what would've been the right thing to do if u felt so compelled,

was to have a PRIVATE conversation with your friend and colleague, Bill Clinton. You betrayed him, and put him in danger of being impeached for a PERSONAL (not professional/political) indiscretion, that is no business of yours. You betrayed him! Much like you've betrayed the Democratic party. F*ck you Joe!

[Vinca]

30. Joe has the same moral values as his Republican buddies.

Clinton is investigated ad nauseum for a multitude of things (1,000 subpoenas alone about Christmas cards) and ultimately impeached in a total, foolish waste of the people's time, yet King George seldom receives any oversight and has never been held accountable for anything. Hey, Joe, what's more important - a 100,000 dead Iraqis or a blow job?

[TankLV]

31. So when are ya gonna "reprimand" the bush* & the REPUKES for LYING us into

an unnecessary, illegal war of CHOICE based on LIES that has KILLED THOUSANDS?

That's certainly more important than a blow job, isn't it LIEberman?!