Among Democrats, Lieberman stands alone. (For. Relat.Comm)

[rodeodance]

.........I checked with prominent Republicans around the country and found them confused and disturbed about the surge. They incorrectly assumed that the presence of Republican stalwart James Baker as co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group meant it was Bush-inspired (when it really was a bipartisan creation of Congress). Why, they ask, is the president casting aside the commission's recommendations and calling for more troops?

Even in Mississippi, the reddest of red states, where Bush's approval rating has just inched above 50 percent, Republicans see no public support for more troops. What is happening inside the president's party is reflected by defection from support for his war policy after November's election by two Republican senators who face an uphill race for reelection in 2008: Gordon Smith of Oregon and Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Coleman announced his opposition to the idea after returning from a trip to Iraq that preceded McCain's.

Among Democrats, Lieberman stands alone. Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, will lead the rest of the Democrats not only to oppose a surge but to block it. Bush enters a new world of a Democratic majority where he must share the stage.

Just as the president is ready to address the nation on Iraq, Biden next week begins three weeks of hearings on the war. On the committee, Biden and Democrats Christopher Dodd (Conn.), John Kerry (Mass.), Russell Feingold (Wis.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) will compete for intensity in criticizing a troop surge. But on the Republican side of the committee, no less probing scrutiny of Bush's proposals will come from Chuck Hagel.

© 2007 Creators Syndicate Inc.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/31/AR2006123100931.html

[Robbien]

1. Lieberman is a member of the Connecticut for Lieberman party

He is not a Democrat. Democratic voters rejected him.

[TechBear_Seattle]

3. In the primary, no less

I can't think of very few cases where a sitting incumbent running for reelection has been ousted in the primaries. All of them, except for Lieberman, were under investigation or indictment for criminal actions.

[IndianaGreen]

4. True, Lieberman is not a Democrat, but an independent

or if we are to be more accurate, a Likudnik.

[karynnj]

5. We desperately want Leiberman to caucus with the Democrats

It suffices to say he is dead wrong on this and everything related to Iraq.

[Robbien]

11. The article states Lieberman IS a Democrat, not just caucusing with Dems

When Lieberman agrees with Bush, the press says Lieberman is a Democrat and that Bush has bi-partisan support. Lieberman is NOT a Democratic Senator and Bush has support of the GOP and the party of Connnecticut for Lieberman. Bush does NOT have Democratic/GOP bi-partisan support.

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Holy Joe is showing his colors.

Fortunately there are a whole lot of Puggies who have seen the handwriting on the wall. I don't think Joe would get it if someone hammered out the message in sequential Braille with a ball pein hammer on his head.

[BearSquirrel2]

8. Joe wants to be President ...

I think that Joe wants to be president and you don't get to be president (in general) by being "weak" on defense. It's far easier to support a stupid war and and then execute Socrates for criticizing it.

[AndyTiedye]

9. I Don't Think Lieberman's Positions Would Even Command Majority Support in Israel

[BuelahWitch]

6. Holy Joe is sending his daughters, right?

If I recall they're under 42 (or whatever the enlistment cutoff is these days)

[BearSquirrel2]

7. Supporting the troops ...

I have a friend who had previously dodged the Iraq bullet. But now he's been sent over. As an engineer, they intially were disarming IEDs and they had full body armor. But now their mission has changed to construction and the TOOK AWAY THE BODY ARMOR.

So now the buddies are talking about buying him armor and sending it over. I am FLOORED!!!! There is 8 billion dollars missing in Iraq and my buddy cannot KEEP his body armor presumably because they still do not have enough. I am pissed OFF!!!!

-----------

Back to the "surge". It's ludicrous. John McCain talks about the ineffectiveness of time tables under the reasoning that the enemy will just "wait us out" and then resume their activities. Well, if the "surge" has a fixed time table won't the enemy just "wait us out" under the same reasoning.

We have two options to deal with Iraq. We can totally mobilize in an effort to provide FULL security to Iraqis and crush the insurgency. Hopefully this would also entail removing all the gnomes living in the "Emerald City" and replacing them with competent people who really want to rebuild a country instead of forwarding their Friedmanian religion. Or, we can get out ASAP so the Iraqis can fight their civil war.

I don't think we can win at this point. The POTUS has FUBARd the situation with his Emerald City gnomes.

[AndyTiedye]

10. You Have Touched On Their Real Plan, That They Have Not Revealed to Us Yet

We can totally mobilize in an effort to provide FULL security to Iraqis and crush the insurgency.

That IS the Bush/Lieberman plan. They just haven't admitted it yet.

[valerief]

12. He's NOT a democrat. nt