I can't help but be nauseated by the fawning coverage of Lieberman's retirement. Perhaps Hearst's Brian Lockhart's article is the worst: "Lieberman's Legacy: Good and Decent Man."
Are you kidding me? Not a word about the more than 40,000 dead and wounded Americans from the senseless Iraq War that Lieberman helped lie us into; not a word about the hundreds of thousands more suffering from PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury. Nope. Instead, Lockhart adds a quote from Sal Liccione that "This whole war stuff really tangled him up." That's it? Just "war stuff" that "tangled him up"?
And then there is NYT's Raymond Hernandez who wrote this morning that, "Mr. Lieberman, as a senator, was best known for his centrist positions and outspokenness on issues of morality."
Is he serious? Lieberman a centrist? No mention of his rock-solid support for Wolfowitz, Bush, Cheney and the rest of the Neo-Cons' radical foreign policies that pushed us into Iraq? No mention of Lieberman's siding with the Far Right to kill the public option in 2009 by voting against cloture? No mention of Lieberman's support for the Far Right Sarah Palin? And just how "outspoken" was he on morality when he refused to condemn Linda McMahon's disgusting violent and sexist WWE business when she ran for Senate?
Think Progress does a far better job than the Connecticut press corps (naturally) in getting it right on Joe Lieberman. Here's are some of the things that our press corps really want swept under the rug:
Said progressive candidates would cower to terrorism: In an interview with Salon.com, Lieberman said, "I worry that whoever gets the Democratic nomination will have a hard time scampering back to assure people that they're prepared to take on the Islamist extremists and [any] other nation that threatens our security."
Suggested that Obama could be a Marxist: When asked if Obama is "a Marxist as Bill Kristol says might be the case," Lieberman replied, "Well, you know, I must say that's a good question." [4/14/08]
Linked Obama's policies to socialism: "There are ways I suppose you can make an argument that there are some similarities between what Sen. Obama is talking about ('spreading the wealth') and classic, what used to be known as socialist theory...[but] I'm not going to use the name calling," Lieberman said. [10/23/08]
Praised radical right-wing radio hosts: "I'm real proud of you," Lieberman told Glenn Beck. "You're a good man," he said to Hugh Hewitt. [11/04/08; 5/21/08]
Feared a 60-seat Democratic majority: Lieberman made clear that he firmly opposes Democrats gaining 60 seats in the Senate, saying that he "fears" for the survival of the U.S. if Democrats break the filibuster threshold. [11/04/08]
Cited domestic priorities in supporting McCain: Lieberman claimed that the United States is going to "make progress on health care and the energy crisis and climate change" under a McCain administration. "John McCain is more ready to be president on foreign and domestic policy because of his extraordinary experience." [6/29/08; 8/03/08]
That is not the record of a "good and decent man." Good riddance. |
MLN is powered by