posted for its humor value.
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/alvin-felzenberg/2011/01/20/joe-lieberman-is-a-modern-day-profile-in-courage
Joe Lieberman Is a Modern Day Profile in Courage
Alvin Felzenberg
In 1955, Sen. John F. Kennedy, with a powerful (some say determinative) assist from his principal aide, Ted Sorensen, produced a book that became an instant classic. In contrast to the dribble that so many aspiring presidential hopefuls have brought forth since, Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage remains in print and in the curricula of schools more than a half century after its publication.
Its endurance flows from its timeless theme. Taking as their focus eight United States Senators who found themselves at odds with the prevailing opinion of their political party, their constituents, or both, Kennedy (and Sorensen) ventured into an age-old debate over the proper role of representatives in a democratic society. Should they primarily reflect the wishes of the people who elected or, in the days before the direct election of U.S. Senators, appointed them to their posts? Or should they bring into the chamber’s deliberations the benefits of their life experience, their particular expertise, and the strengths of their convictions--even when the latter cause them to vote against popular sentiment.
Edmund Burke, in his famous address to the electors of Bristol in 1774 made clear where he stood on the matter. “Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.” Kennedy and Sorensen put themselves firmly in Burke’s camp. In deciding to make the demonstration of courage in face of intense opposition the scope of their investigation, they took care to note that they did not necessarily agree with each of the stands their subjects took.
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Using Kennedy and Sorensen’s criteria, no present day U.S. Senator is more deserving of the title “profile in courage,” than Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut. Lieberman will leave office the last of a particular breed. He is national security hawk in a party that has grown skeptical of the use of force. He continues to believe in “American exceptionalism” when most Democrats do not. He stands out for his repeated displays of civility in a Senate that has become increasingly more strident, more partisan, and increasingly out of touch with the concerns of most Americans. With Barry Goldwater, Pat Moynihan, Henry Jackson, and Ted Kennedy all gone, Lieberman may be the one “authentic” in a chamber that has attracted more than its share of phonies. (I would venture to guess that he does not own a blow dryer.)
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