Feb 24 2007
The most powerful person in Washington DC: Joe Lieberman
Seriously. Most people see Hillary or Pelosi as the key players, but in reality, Lieberman at this time is the person in DC with the most control and influence, not just of the Senate, but realistically of the Country as well.
Lieberman is a lifelong Democrat, with 18 years of Senate time. He has also been a staunch supporter of the president and the war in Iraq, something that I admit surprised me..and pissed off a lot of liberals. The Democrat’s 2000 nominee for the Vice Presidency was viciously attacked by the far left Soros inspired, Kos fueled Nutroots, who backed Ned Lamont in a primary election upset over Lieberman. During that primary campaign he was snubbed harshly by the Democrats who feared the power of the Nutroots, who you can envision as the mob with torches and pitchforks in an old Frankenstein movie. His former running mate1 would not even endorse him.
Undaunted, Joe ran as an Independent, and amazingly, won. I do not think it is wrong to assume that he had a lot of support from conservatives.
That left him in a very interesting position in the Senate. He can Caucus with either party, as he sees fit, and frankly the Democrats have a lot to answer for when he considers the betrayal he suffered.
Back in November I was reflecting on the election results, and I wrote this:2
And Lieberman…he is now the luckiest and likely the most powerful man in DC. Strange turn of events indeed. Rumor has him inching closer to a defection to the republicans.
And it seems I was somewhat prophetic.3
Two stories surfaced recently and both indicate Joe may be inching closer to a defection, even if it is only a temporary one. The issue? None other then the war in Iraq…again.
Since the House and the Senate are both playing around with this issue, it is not a surprise. Two sets of plans are being toyed with. One, the non binding resolution, has passed the House, but stalled in the Senate. The media reported it as saying that the Republicans blocked a vote on it, or that they blocked the debate, but that is not fully accurate. What they did was vote against cloture, demanding that the debate continue and amendments and alternatives be considered. In other words, the Democrats tried to end debate and force a vote, and the Republicans demanded to keep the debate alive.
Regardless, the non binding resolutions are feel good items with no teeth. The anti war nuts will not be satisfied with that. So sooner or later, all the Democrats (and to be fair Republicans) who campaigned on an end to the war have to do something with some teeth, or their voters will call the accounts due.
So the issue is moving on to either Funding, or the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq. The two schools of thought appear to be either cut the purse strings, something Murtha and Pelosi favor, or revoke the Authorization to war, and reissue it with restrictions.
This is critical, because there were many who voted for it, who now claim they want a do-over, either because we were wrong, or because they were mislead, and in some cases, because they claim they didn’t have time to read it all the way.
Cowards. You know the reality is that anyone who blames them is misguided, because at the time they went with the beliefs of the Intelligence community and the International community. Second guessing it now is dumb.
Joe is now the hinge vote in the Senate for anything of substance as there is a 49 51 split with him as a pseudo Democrat. If he defects, it becomes a 50 50 split, with Dick Cheney as the tie breaker, hence a Republican controlled Senate.
In short, if they piss him off, he can make their Senate victory short lived.
Time Magazine notes:
Whatever Joe Lieberman Wants
In his 18 years in the U.S. Senate, Joe Lieberman has cultivated an image of himself as a lonely prude among the morally corrupt, that rare Washington official who places principle above politics. But with the Democrats’ hold on power dependent on just one vote — in effect, his — and with Republicans courting him to tilt the balance in their favor, Lieberman has been indulging in some fairly immodest political footsie.
…
The Democrats’ 2000 candidate for Vice President is the only party member in the Senate supporting President Bush’s Iraq policy and says he is “very troubled about the direction the party is heading on foreign policy generally.” With his re-election in November, many old allies now rue abandoning him after he lost the Connecticut Democratic primary to Ned Lamont last August. Both sides concede that bitterness remains. “It’s still a little painful and awkward,” says the majority whip, Dick Durbin, “but I think the caucus counts him as a friend.”
Lieberman says leaving the Democratic Party is a “very remote possibility.” But even that slight ambiguity — and all his cross-aisle flirtation — has proved more than enough to position Lieberman as the Senate’s one-man tipping point. If he were to jump ship, the ensuing shift of power to Republicans would scramble the politics of the war in Iraq, undercut the Democrats’ national agenda and potentially weaken their hopes for the White House in 2008.
I disagree only on the last point. I don’t think it will stop Gore from slipping in under everyones radar.
Politico continues the saga and frames the issue:
Lieberman Says War Vote Could Prompt Party Switch
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut told the Politico on Thursday that he has no immediate plans to switch parties but suggested that Democratic opposition to funding the war in Iraq might change his mind.
Lieberman, a self-styled independent who caucuses with the Democrats, has been among the strongest supporters of the war and President Bush’s plan to send an additional 21,500 combat troops into Iraq to help quell the violence there.
“I have no desire to change parties,” Lieberman said in a telephone interview. “If that ever happens, it is because I feel the majority of Democrats have gone in a direction that I don’t feel comfortable with.”
Asked whether that hasn’t already happened with Iraq, Lieberman said: “We will see how that plays out in the coming months,” specifically how the party approaches the issue of continued funding for the war.
With that he drops his gauntlet and states firmly:
He suggested, however, that the forthcoming showdown over new funding could be a deciding factor that would lure him to the Republican Party.
If he is serious, any attempts by the Senate to defund the war would drive the final straw home.
The military should be happy they have such a loyal advocate. With so many Democrats caving to the Nutroots and the Sheehanistas4, and so many Republicans chickening out, Joe will likely become the focal point of the support for the troops, and pro war Republicans will happily use him as their standard. They are courting him for all their worth.
Joe Lieberman: The most powerful man in Congress, and he has Kos, Soros and Ned Lamont to thank for it.
Now, that’s irony…
Open trackbacks accepted
- You remember him, Al Gore?… [back]
- The New Direction Takes Some Interesting Turns… [back]
- Not really though, that observation is the biggest no brainier of the year. [back]
- Remember, Sheehan long ago fired a warning shot across Hillary’s bow.. [back]
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Thanks, you wrote wonderfull.