Why I've Always Hated Joe Lieberman

Joe Lieberman made news today by helping ruining healthcare. This deeply distressed and depressed some of the Democratic faithful, but not me. No, I've loathed the man for so long that his antics only make me mad at his enablers, in this case Obama and Reid. The man who said during the 2006 election that he was with the Democrats "on everything except the war" also turned out to be against them on the central domestic policy plank of the party over the last four decades.

I dug up an old post I wrote during the 2008 election on our sister site, Roving Storm. I'll quote only a snippet here, but if you're pissed at Joe Lieberman, the full rant is really a treat:

Let’s be clear: Lieberman was always a total loser. He was the guy so lame he made Gore look like the vibrant one on the 2000 ticket, and he was so soft on Cheney in the vice-presidential debate that people came away actually liking the Monster. In 2002, during the Lamest Presidential Campaign in History, I got to pin Smokey Joe down on why his name was listed on a statement by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, a fanatical right-wing group supporting the suppression of academics and students speaking against the war in Afghanistan. Lieberman said his name had been placed on the list by mistake, and that he did not think those who opposed the war were unpatriotic. Turns out Lieberman was lying through his teeth- the motherfucker FOUNDED the organization with Lynne Cheney in 1995.

Indeed, I remember that moment like it was yesterday. Lieberman was full stride in his "strong on defense" campaign for the Democratic nomination, a quixotic journey that started with him claiming a "three-way tie for third" after he clearly came in fifth in the New Hampshire primary, and ended with a "last stand" in Delaware, where he lost to Kerry by over 30 points. I could write a whole post about what a loser he is. But that would be off topic. The point here is that he is a war monger. What makes his warmongering even worse than than the fanatics like Bush and Rumsfeld is that you can tell, due to his overwhelming transparency, that Lieberman talks the talk for cheap political points.

Yes, Lieberman ruined healthcare reform. But he's also ruined the lives of thousands, if not millions, with his remorseless bloodthirst. I asked his New Hampshire Students for Lieberman about this back in '04, and he responded, "the Senator is pro-defense." I shot back quizzically, "What does that even mean? Who isn't pro-defense?" We both chuckled.
"Whatever..." he smiled. "We all make up our own bullshit."