"Lieberman Stepped Up Role as Talks Ebbed"

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

Sen. Ben Nelson spent the last two weeks either surrounded by reporters or huddled with centrist members of both parties, hashing out a deal to move the president's stimulus through the chamber.

On the way to the most critical of those meetings last Friday evening, a scrum formed around him. The Democratic caucus was ready to meet White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and debate the plan Nelson and Maine Republican Susan Collins had hammered out. Nelson, a Democrat from Nebraska, stopped to answer questions and looked to be settling in for an extended back and forth with the press.

Joe Lieberman wasn't having it.

"Let's go," he hollered from behind Nelson, pushing the pair through the scrum. "We've gotta get in there and get it done."

While national attention has been heaped on Collins and Nelson, the hidden story of the stimulus negotiations is the role played by Lieberman - a man only weeks removed from a vote that could have cast him out of the Democratic caucus.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/13/lieberman-stepped-up-role_n_166905.html

[Onlooker]

1. He's always been a better than average Democrat

except he's a nut with regard to Israel, Iraq, and the Middle East.

[salguine]

5. Except he isn't a Democrat anymore, and three months ago he had his

nose so far up McCain and the GOP's collective ass that he might have been Pinocchio. He's only a Democrat or a Republican or whatever for as long as it serves Joe Lieberman. He's the most craven kind of shameless opportunist there is.

[KittyWampus]

8. I think Lieberman just wants to be relevant again

[salguine]

16. And you know what? The Democrats will probably bring him into the fold. Just watch.

[SharonAnn]

10. And a nut with insurance companies, credit card companies.

[Donnachaidh]

11. after some of the comments he made last fall?

I cannot even believe I'm hearing someone calling Joe Lieberman *a better than average Democrat*. :puke:

He's in CYA mode now, and will be in that mode, until after his next election. He's NOT better than average - he's a snake.

[tularetom]

2. OK that's a start

He only has about 999 other fuckups to atone for before I'm willing to trust him.

[The Hope Mobile]

3. Exactly!! Guess he just likes to be buddies with whoever's in charge.

Glad he did something right this time.

[bluestateguy]

4. It's a long road out of the doghouse

He has a long ways to go.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. It's good that the opportunistic asshole knows on which side the bread is buttered. n/t

[Larkspur]

7. Lieberman only serves Lieberman

The compromised stimulus bill was worse and the 3 so called Republican senators regurgitated right wing talking points to denounce the House bill as being pork. Lieberman loves being with the Repukes, so not surprised he was involved with the self-dubbed moderates.

[Avalux]

9. Lieberman is such a conundrum. War monger but great on domestic issues.

Wonders never cease.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

14. Great on domestic issues? He was backing McCain four months ago.

[Occam Bandage]

15. And he did so because, for Lieberman, war trumps all.

On issues that don't have anything to do with Israel, terrorism, or war, he's a very good Senator. On those issues, though, he's a raving, flaming hawk, and he's willing to let that override everything else.

[BunkerHill24]

12. LIEberman and his AIPAC friends a looming danger to international peace and security

[bluestateguy]

13. Yeah, but he agrees with us on funding for afterschool programs

and that issue is, you know, just as important as international peace and security.

[MrSlayer]

17. He is the Grima Wormtongue to whomever is in power's Saruman.

He's a slavering toadie. A disgusting parasite.

[Occam Bandage]

18. He's pretty consistent.

Always very liberal on domestic issues, and always very conservative on foreign policy and security issues.

[Raine]

19. Glad he was on our side this time

but he's an SOB and I'll never trust him.