Newsweek: Bush’s Best Democratic Buddy-Joe Lieberman gives the president a pass on Katrina.

[Pirate Smile]

Bush’s Best Democratic Buddy
Joe Lieberman gives the president a pass on Katrina.

WEB EXCLUSIVE
By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball
Newsweek
Updated: 2 hours, 4 minutes ago

Jan. 11, 2007 - Sen. Joe Lieberman, the only Democrat to endorse President Bush’s new plan for Iraq, has quietly backed away from his pre-election demands that the White House turn over potentially embarrassing documents relating to its handling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

Lieberman’s reversal underscores the new role that he is seeking to play in the Senate as the leading apostle of bipartisanship, especially on national-security issues. On Wednesday night, Bush conspicuously cited Lieberman’s advice as being the inspiration for creating a new “bipartisan working group” on Capitol Hill that he said will “help us come together across party lines to win the war on terror.”

But the decision by Lieberman, the new chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, to back away from the committee's Katrina probe is already dismaying public-interest groups and others who hoped the Democratic victory in November would lead to more aggressive investigations of one of the White House’s most spectacular foul-ups.

Last year, when he was running for re-election in Connecticut, Lieberman was a vocal critic of the administration’s handling of Katrina. He was especially dismayed by its failure to turn over key records that could have shed light on internal White House deliberations about the hurricane, including those involving President Bush.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16585614/site/newsweek/

Just when you think you can't despise Jihad Joe any more than you already do, he manages to prove that yes, you can.

[marmar]

1. How do I despise Joe Lieberman? Let me count the ways.....

:argh:

[CrazyOrangeCat]

2. They need to get a freakin' room . . . . n/t

[Leilani]

3. What a disgrace!

[cyberpj]

4. Just tatoo "Bought and Paid For" on his forehead. nt

[dsharp88]

5. THIS MATTERS!!!!!!! Here's why...

I and my three dogs had four hours to pack and run for our lives that day before Katrina hit when the mandatory evacuation was ordered. We survived better than most, but the city we love is coming back all too slowly with promised funding seemingly down to a trickle, if that.

We have two conservative senators in LA, a puppet republican and democrat Mary Landrieu, who, although conservative beyond my tastes, is admittedly a mighty tough cookie against the right wing when she wants to be. I don't always agree with her, but I do respect her. She supported Lieberman over Lamont in CT in no small part based on this very issue of him promising to get to the bottom of the White House's disastrous handling of New Orleans. I wonder what she thinks of him now.

I'd tell you what I think of him now, but it might get censored.

[Pirate Smile]

11. I'm so sorry, dsharp88. Welcome to DU and you should contact Mary

Landrieu about this.

She supported him so his actions should be pointed out to her.

If Lamont had won, what Dem would have chaired this Committee? I don't even know. I guess it doesn't matter. It would just piss us off more.

Hopefully, the House or some other Senate Committees can pursue Katrina investigations. Joe is such a pathetic lost cause.

[Tom Joad]

6. Okay, but who appointed him head of this committee? Maybe we can save some dissing for Harry

and the boys.

[Pirate Smile]

8. I'm afraid if Harry didn't give Joe this then we wouldn't be chairing ANY

Committees.

Did you see the RW'ers who requested that their judicial nominations get pulled because they don't even want to attempt going through Leahy's Judicial Committee?

Yeah, it sucks but the benefits of controlling the Senate are HUGE.

[Cha]

7. lieBERman is a goddamn warwhore and

he's just gotta say.."Fuck those Katrina victims and Fuck it that bush was out eating cake and playing airguitar when he could have been leading New Orleanans out of the disaster areas..just Fuck it."

"bush doesn't have to be held accountable for anything as long as he keeps up the war shit from Iraq to Iran and fucking Istanbul." joe fuckhead independent lieberman

[Bjorn Against]

9. Lieberman sucks and so does Newsweek...

Lieberman is NOT a Democrat, he is part of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party and not even the chairman of his own party likes him. He is certainly not the "leading apostle of bipartisanship" that the article suggests, in fact he is even too right-wing for many Republicans. Even Brownback is taking a position well to the left of Lieberman in Iraq, and when Brownback is sitting to the left of you you know you are a true nutcase.

[dsharp88]

15. Didn't he officially become an Independent?

...which means he isn't technically a Democrat anymore. He just chooses to caucus with them. Or am I off on that?

[liberalpragmatist]

18. He's unfortunately still a registered Democrat

And because he was elected on an independent line (actually, the "Connecticut for Lieberman" line), he has that he be officially styled "Independent Democrat".

Not saying I like this - but these are the facts. And I still prefer him as a quasi-Democrat to a Republican. And unfortunately, without him, we don't have 51 seats.

[AndyA]

10. Hardly a surprise.

I'm very nervous with Joe in that seat. I'd be much more comfortable with Ned Lamont, but that isn't the way it worked out.

I'm sure Joe has a lot more planned in the big bag of tricks. Wonder what little goodie he'll pull out next?

Supporting Bush's troop escalation...now dropping the inquiry into Katrina...good little Dem...Rep...oh who knows what the hell he really is! :eyes:

[Morgana LaFey]

12. Makes my skin crawl for him to turn his back on genocidal act

like the neglect of Katrina victims. Sick, ultra-self-serving opportunist.

[unkachuck]

13. confess joe....

....I believe you were on the wrong ticket in 2000 and you're still regretting it....but there's always 2008 in Minneapolis/St.Paul?....

....like the ISG, in an ever increasingly polarized hawk vs dove Washington, you want to be the hawk 'uniter' nobody wants....

....what's the matter joe, public dissatisfaction over Katrina mismanagement might lead to more public dissatisfaction over Iraqi mismanagement?

....sorry joe, I keep forgetting, you're one of us, maybe....

[Kurovski]

14. Bush & Lieberman: Shit-bag on shit-bag action.

Obscene yet boring.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[NastyRiffraff]

17. That's it...Joe has some kind of deal with Bush

What it is, I don't know. VP when Cheney steps down due to "health problems"? Someting involving McCain's run? It makes my head hurt to think about the possibilities, but coupled with his support for Bush's warmongering, this smacks of dealmaking.

[w4rma]

19. This is exactly what I said would happen. He's doing everything he can to protect Bush.

If striping him of his committee chair wouldn't jeopardize every other investigation in the Senate, I would strongly recommend it. In two years, once we get more Democrats elected to the Senate, that SOB had better not be chairing any committees.

[fooj]

20. I'm looking forward to the day he is indicted...

He is a criminal. He is a traitor. He has betrayed America. Time for Joe to go. Period.

[KingofNewOrleans]

21. To borrow from another thread

Lieberman is a treasonous rat bastard

[progressoid]

22. Douchebag ... no, that's too kind.

[Riddler]

23. Dear God, PLEASE let a Republican see the light and change parties,

so we can kick this piece of garbage out and still be in the majority.

[bluedog]

29. we need 2 or 3 to change to the Democratic Party!

then we can get this rat bastard off committees .............and stop kissing his ass

[Wilms]

24. Write Reid

http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

[w4rma]

26. No. Write Sen. Landrieu. She is the only Democrat who might be able to pressure LIEberman on

this issue.

[dsharp88]

28. I just did...

And, by the way, "Military" Mary (as she's sometimes called for her pro-military stances), is AGAINST escalating the war in Iraq by sending more troops.

[OneBlueSky]

25. question . . . is Lieberman counted as part of the Democratic majority? . . .

if he is, do we have a Republican to replace him when the vote is close on crucial issues? . . .

[snowbear]

30. CNN always puts an "I/D" banner under his mug when he's on their network...

But "I/R" or just "R" seems to me more appropriate..

[Alexander]

27. And where, oh where are the Lieberman supporters NOW?

Makes me wish DU had gotten tougher on that crowd and banned the whole lot of them.

I suspect the number of DLC supporters on this site would've dropped down to less than one.