Monday, August 21, 2006

Lieberman and Iraq

As I predicted, Lieberman has become increasingly critical of President Bush’s war management polices. Yesterday, on CBS’s “Face the Nation”, Lieberman called for Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s resignation and he criticized the Bush administration for not having sent more troops into Iraq.

The Lamont campaign then attacked Lieberman by saying, “his new found criticism of war won’t convince Connecticut voters after so many years of stubbornly rubberstamping Bush’s failed policies.”

Looks to me like the big difference on war between Lieberman and Lamont is that Lamont favors a one year deadline troop withdrawal (as he said on Kudlow & Company last week) whereas Lieberman does not favor a deadline.

So, pro-war hawks like myself would favor Lieberman. But of course the big problem I have is that the U.S. is not winning the war. Staying the course doesn’t sound like a solution to the massive sectarian violence going on in Iraq.

On domestic policies, they’re both liberal democrats opposing tax cuts, ANWR and offshore drilling, and opposing the ban on partial birth abortion.

Lamont however may be slightly to the right of Lieberman on budget spending. In the CNBC interview with me, Lamont said he wanted to eliminate budget earmarks like the abusive transportation bill. Lieberman is a defender of earmarks.

Incidentally, Sen. John Kerry on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”, blasted Lieberman and called him the new Cheney. OOOooooooo! But I know Dick Cheney, have known him for many years, and Joe Lieberman, you’re no Dick Cheney.