“Oh, you SHOULDN’T have!” Sen. Lieberman’s Unearned Gift.

November 19, 2008 by  

Sen. Joe Lieberman, Independent and outspoken champion of the Iraq war, will retain his powerful chairmanship position on the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Apparently Lieberman has the consummate unifier, President Elect Barack Obama, to thank for this gem of a gift.

Next time, Mr. President Elect Obama (I still love writing that), when you’re trying to make nice with political foes — may I suggest a fruit basket?

Obviously, within the halls of Congress gifting positions of power is seen as a way to smooth over the bumps, but down here with the little people it feels different – maybe a bit too much like being the monkey in a game of monkey in the middle. Try as I might, I just CANNOT reach that ball when the guys tossing it are so far over my head.

Throughout Obama’s campaign he talked about disagreeing without being disagreeable. That notion was (is) popular with the American electorate in part because after five years of war, many of us are just too tired to fight anymore. Civility is the perfect antidote to suicide bombs and death and soldiers with post traumatic stress disorder. Obama’s campaign was pitch-perfect for the times, just like his personality.

But from where I sit, there is nothing disagreeable about removing Lieberman from the Homeland Security Chairmanship, considering that he’s a man who represents a failed and unpopular approach to national security. The people have spoken. We don’t hate Lieberman; we disagree with him. We worked hard to elect Obama because we don’t want people like Lieberman (or John McCain) steering the agenda.

A fruit basket. Yes, that’s what Lieberman deserves.


Filed under: Environment, Politics
Tagged: ,

Comments

2 Responses to ““Oh, you SHOULDN’T have!” Sen. Lieberman’s Unearned Gift.”

  1. Joan on November 20th, 2008 12:22 pm

    Ah, if life were only so simple that Lieberman would be “punished” for not only supporting McCain, but degrading Obama. As a fervent Obama supporter I was appalled with Lieberman’s role at the Republican convention. However, I also know the
    Democrats need a filibuster-proof Senate and probably will require
    Lieberman’s vote. In the world of political maneuvering, compromises
    must be made. However, as to principles Sen. McCaskill (D-Mo.) probably
    said it best: “Barack has sent a very clear signal since the election
    that all of the talk about changing the way we do things is not just
    talk–that he’s deadly serious about getting beyond partisan food fights
    to solve the serious problems of today. What happened with Senator
    Lieberman was a direct result of the tone he set.”
    Joan
    from Maryland

  2. Julia King on November 20th, 2008 1:29 pm

    Interesting take. Are we to believe then, that the Chairmanship will suddenly make Lieberman politically malleable? He hasn’t shown himself to be especially cooperative, to put it mildly. Or will the Democrats’ threat to strip him of power just come later, right before some crucial vote? Either way, it doesn’t look like “change” to me. It looks like a familiar game — and one that ignores the clear signal from the electorate. Is it my government (and yours?) or is it Obama’s alone to hand back over to the likes of Lieberman?

    Because I respect Obama immensely, I will hope that he knows what he’s doing, that this favor will come back around and give me (and you) a big kiss. We will see…

Comments welcome. If you'd like to be notified of follow-up comments on this post, submit your email address and check the box at the bottom of the page.