It's time someone calls on the patriotism of this scum bag.

as an american jew, that is extremely refreshing to hear.

also, i think that narrows down the people who actually like lieberman to connecticut republicans.

I think what he's trying to say is that he's decided to support McCain for president. If he's done so, why wouldn't he question McCain's opposition?

I won't get into how moronic his initial or related decisions on which "side" to take are, but I think that's what he's getting at. 'I'm supporting McCain; McCain's opponent is Obama; why wouldn't I challenge Obama?'

Joe Lieberman harms Israel's interests by saying that because Israel is strongest when American speaks with one voice of unequivocal support.

The man is slime.

Come on now, people.

Joe is in a tough contest.

It's not easy to outsuck Huckleberry.
~

I'm still wondering how the Gore campaign thought he'd be a good VP. He's just being flat out clumsy here.

Once again people are wasting precious minutes of their lives discussing Joe Lieberman. How sad!

I hate Lieberman. I can't wait until the elections when he can be safely booted out as a traitor, sell-out and a grimacing bafoon.

As the former girlfriend of a Jewish Republican Zionist, I can tell you that Lieberman is pretty popular with them; and he's pretty indistinguishable from them, as many of them are moderates otherwise. Israel is a blindspot. Thinking and reasonableness on other issues go completely out the window on this issue. Otherwise sane people who happen to be Jewish foam at the mouth on this topic. Lieberman is in this camp. You can't disagree with them at all, or even challenge them without being called anti-semitic. My former Republican boyfriend who is as intelligent, rational, thoughtful, open-minded, and sophisticated as they come on every other issue (which is why I liked him, despite some political differences), told me that even if he agreed with Obama on everything, he couldn't vote for him because he's muslim. I tried to reason with him, but was unable to.

What's so disturbing about Lieberman's willingness to slander Obama is that Obama went to Connecticut to campaign for him at Lieberman's request. They were friends. I'm guessing they no longer are. Like I said -- otherwise reasonable Jewish people become unhinged on the topic of Israel.

Elsa's comment is unfortunately all too accurate. With some exceptions, not including Lieberman, Jewish Republicans represent a part of the Jewish community that has abandoned any commitment to Jewish democratic ideals or social justice in favor of ethnic paranoia. There is little to distinguish them from Bosnian Serbs who still support Radovan Karadzic and Radko Mladic.

In fact, during the Bosnian War, I found myself arguing more than once with such people, who insisted that the reports of Serb atrocities had to be Muslim propaganda.

I occasionally meet these primates at weddings, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs or at other Saturday morning services. As the saying goes, they can't change their minds, and won't change the subject.

Have they figured out a way to surgically detach Lieberman and Lindsey Graham from the hips of McCain?

I emailed Feinstein last night and told I would contributing to her opponent next primary for her continued support of anti-democratic party positions and her contributions of suppost of the Bush adminstration. I just can't see how CA democrats have suported her.

Under normal circumstances I take offense at the charge that somebody-or-other who's Jewish has divided loyalties, isn't really *quite* all-American. It's an old slur, usually used to question the patriotism and loyalty of Jews.

Unfortunately, in Lieberman's case it seems like the slur is right on target. The SOB thinks he's in the Knesset, not the Senate -- and in the farther reaches of the Likud Party to boot.

As for the irrationality of many American Jews on the subject of Israel...yeah, it's there. Let me see if I can explain some of it, without seeming like I'm apologizing for it or excusing it.

America lost 2,700 people in terrorist attacks on September 11th, and the country went certifiably nuts. It was a horrible event, a tragedy (2,700 tragedies), and a shock; we reacted with a severe case of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. (It didn't help that the goddamn networks played tape of the plane crashing into Tower #2 every seven minutes, so the image could be drilled in the psyche of everybody watching.) The country has been in the throes of PTSD ever since, and is just beginning to emerge. It'll take a couple of generations for us to get back to something like normal.

That was from losing 2,700 people. Now imagine losing 6 million people...something like 1/3 of all the Jews in the world. Virtually every Jew who survived lost relatives. (I lost all of my family in Europe except two cousins.) They were killed carefully, methodically, by people who wanted to eradicate people like us from the earth.

All this happened while the world watched...and did nothing. The ship "St. Louis", filled with Jewish refugees, sailed across the Atlantic -- and was turned away by every country where it tried to land, including Cuba (then under heavy US control) and the US itself. They had to go back to Germany; most of the Jews died in the gas chambers. The United States knew what was happening in Nazi-occupied Europe; it was reported on CBS Radio by Edward R. Murrow as early as 1943. Administration officials knew even earlier, through intelligence channels, but didn't lift a finger to stop it. It was proposed that the railroad tracks to the camps be bombed, so that the transports couldn't carry more Jews to them. The proposal was rejected. Why? Partly entrenched anti-semitism in the State Department, partly (I suspect) because John Foster Dulles and other former backers and representatives of Germany wanted to keep the railroad system intact for what they saw as the future war with Russia. In any case, the tracks remained intact; the Americans did nothing until the end of the war, when the army liberated the camps. And the Jews kept getting slaughtered while the world watched.

If you think America's PTSD after 9/11 was bad, think of how the Jews of the world reacted to the Nazi genocide and the world's indifference. From this reaction came the final Zionist push to establish the state of Israel, and from this reaction came the almost feral response to any criticism of Israel. It is seen as the one safe haven for Jews in a world that cannot be trusted as far as we are concerned, and any action Israel takes in its own defense -- ANY action -- is therefore justified.

I say all this as explanation, not justification. I am no apologist for the actions of Israel's government, still less for those of the fanatics in the settler movement who have held the levers of power for two decades, and still less the American fanatics who would decree quiescence and blind support among American Jews. I simply wanted to give my colleagues on this forum some inkling of why some of my Jewish cohorts sometimes act like irrational, unthinking fools. They're not fools, but they are the walking wounded.

Peace,
Paul

That is *NOT* what he said, though I am sure he would appreciate your inventing ideas for him.

The bloggers' post on this is correct: What he says is (1) that he likes McCain better. For that single reason, (2) it is natural that he attack Obama's commitment to Israel of all places. It is simple, logical non-sequitur on the one hand, and an open admission of venality on the other. Full stop.

In terms of what he is "getting at", the above is where he got to.

I'm convinced that Intrade is a near-perfect lagging indicator, therefore McCain-Liebermann were toast 3 weeks ago.

Good to see Lieberman finally admit that Israel is his country. Let's hope he goes home real soon.

When Joe Lieberman says that "John McCain is best for our country" he's referring to Israel not the U.S. His statement then makes perfect grammatical sense.

Exactly Mr. Franklin,

Lieberman's allegiance is to Israel not US!

Lieberman didn't work half this hard for his own ticket in 2000 as he is for McCain.

Not a democrat. An "Independant".

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

he truly sucks.

God, I hope Republicans are right and this Mr. Nice Guy is just a routine from Obama to win the election. Because after he is elected, I would love to see him bitch slap people like Joe Lieberman and Jesse Jackson, until they cry like little girls!

As a Muslim, VERY FEW things offend me as much as when people automatically assume that I have an innate dislike for Jews; but on the contrary, this cannot be any further from the truth. There are crazies in EVERY walk of life (race / religion / nationality / etc.) who are loud enough to give off the impression that their sentiments are shared by the entire group they are affiliated with.

That being said, now, if I (or any other Muslim) speak of this statement for what it is - inane, unpatriotic and dare I say treasonous, I am at best brushed off as having an ulterior motive for being offended or at worst condemned for being blatantly anti-Semetic.

By the way, here is something that gonna make you go hmmm... for me or any other Muslim to be an anti-Semite it would mean that I'm Anti-ME - how could THAT be possible. For one thing, I know I think I'm an ok guy and my people? My people (for the most part) are just as ok. Go figure...

Joe Lieberman is Eeyore. Give him a break; the guy's just pissed about having lost his tail.

don't look at Joe Lieberman as a democratic or independent politician,look at him as a lobbyist for Israel's interests and not America's interests. Then you see and understand why he says and acts like he does.

Just for the record, Abroadabroad, I agree with you. But a lot of American Jews don't, and I was trying to explain why they get so emotional about it.

And just to nitpick...not all Muslims are Semites. Think of the millions of Muslins in Indonesia, for example. Okay, I'm being pedantic.

Peace,
Paul

Lieberman is an Israel firster and scumbag of the first order.

The Iran issue is 100% Israeli, Iran is,in fact, no danger to the US. Make Israel adhere to the standards that it and the US want to impose on Iran. If Israel and the US want Iranian nuclear transparency, then Israel better be just as transparent.Israel refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty ,which Iran has done. Israel refuses to allow IAEA inspections of their nuke facilities, which Iran has done. Israel refuses to comply with any UN resolutions, which the US protects it from. All these issues should be brought up everytime the word Iran is spoken.

Lieberman recently said the following:

"If Israel is in danger today it is not because of us foreign policy, which has been strongly supportive of Israel in every way," he said. "It is not because of what we have done in Iraq. It is because Iran is a fanatical, terrorist, expansionist state and has a leader and a leadership that constantly threatens to extinguish the state of Israel."

It should have read like this:

"If Israel is in danger today it is because of US foreign policy, which has been strongly supportive of Israel in every way," he said. "It is because of what we have done in Iraq. It is because Israel is a fanatical, terrorist, expansionist state and has a leader and a leadership that constantly threatens to extinguish the state of Palestine."

Lieberman was part of the conspiracy to go to war with Iraq. Phillip Zelikow, Bush adviser and member of the 9/11 commission said " Iraq war was launched to protect Israel." The war was not about WMDs, advancing democracy, or oil...it was all about Israel. Lieberman is the major Zionist politician on the Hill. We have lost 4000 men and women for the sake of Israel.

I will be proud of the day when Obama,not McShame, will put the interest of America before the interest of Israel and not be crucified for it. It's a shame that American politicians are selected, not on their commitment to the best interests of America, but by vowing to put the interests of a foreign nation, Israel, first. The oath of allegiance that I said everyday in school was not to Israel, or any country but America.

I don't think we even have discuss the ethnic side of Joe Lieberman. He's not a scumbag, because he is a Jew, or because he is a staunch supporter of Israel (which I would question). Joe Lieberman is a self-absorbed scum-bag, because he is a self-absorbed scum-bag! Period-Stop!