Connecticut-for-Lieberman party member Joe Lieberman has once again slimed the Democratic candidate for President, Barack Obama.
Lieberman, who has thrown his full support behind George W. Bush's buddy John McCain, had yet another temper tantrum at a formerly-fellow Democrat today. Granted, Lieberman has had a similar hissy fit almost weekly for years now... but lately he's actively working against our candidate for President.
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Here's Lieberman, whining and stamping his feet for the 70,000th time about an evil Democrat -- only this time it's the Democrat that millions of us are working hard to get into the White House this year:
Lieberman Camp To Obama: Back Off
By Greg Sargent
We've been keeping you abreast of the ongoing behind-the-scenes battle between Barack Obama and Joe Lieberman, who is fast emerging as the front man for John McCain's attacks on Obama as unfit to defend the country, and now there have been some key new developments. Specifically, the Lieberman camp is hitting back at suggestions from the Obama camp that the Connecticut Senator has crossed the line in his assaults on his Illinois colleague.
As noted here the other day, Newsweek recently reported that Obama took Lieberman aside on the Senate floor and, according to an Obama adviser, rebuked him for his half-hearted denials of the bogus Obama-is-a-Muslim rumors. But now a Lieberman spokesperson is denying that version of events, saying it was "entirely false and fabricated."
Meanwhile, a nameless Lieberman aide told Mark Halperin the following:
"If the Obama campaign thinks they are going to intimidate Joe Lieberman with these sleazy tactics then they are sorely mistaken."
The "sleazy tactics" in question appear to be the Obama camp's leaking of details of their conversation. That the Lieberman camp is calling the Democratic nominee's campaign "sleazy" while Lieberman continues to hold plum committee seats in the majority is obviously untenable, though it remains to be seen whether anything can really be done about it in the short term.
Did you get that, Harry Reid? Or do we need to make it EVEN clearer?
Here, Harry:
You are giving away Senate Democratic party power to the Connecticut-for-Lieberman party's sole member, a man who has allied himself in every meaningful way to the Republican party.
You're giving away Senate Democratic party power to a man who works hard to see the Republican party's agenda realized.
You're giving away Senate Democratic party power to a man who works to see the Republican party's candidate as President.
You're giving away Senate Democratic party power to a man who actively trashes the candidate that so many of us have worked to see in the White House.
Senator Reid, here's a question for you: at what point do you think your spinelessness regarding Joe Lieberman affects our opinion of YOU as a leader?
The answer: that point happened a long, long time ago. Our patience is long past gone.
Barack Obama has fought a bruising primary fight, and even his main opponent in that fight, Senator Clinton, has had the grace, good sense, and loyalty as a Democrat to give her full-voiced support of his candidacy for the White House.
But you enable a traitor to all we hold dear. You enable a double-dealing sleazebag who trashes the candidate representing millions of us. You give away the power we invested in you to Joe Lieberman, who spreads lies and Swiftboat-level slime about the candidate we're working to elect.
So we have a Joe Lieberman problem, sure.
But even more to the point -- we have a Harry Reid problem.
We stopped having patience for your mealy-mouthed excuses about Connecticut-for-Lieberman* party member Lieberman long ago. He is now working very hard, and very dishonestly, to undo the work we're coming together to do. He's trying to give us a third term of George W. Bush.
Harry Reid, you and your fellow Senators MUST kick Joe Lieberman out of your caucus. He's making fools of you, and you're betraying us with your terrible judgment. Lieberman is using his position as a "Democrat" to give John McCain cover, and to make it seem like Barack Obama's agenda is somehow more radical than the "bipartisan" likes of Lieberman and McCain. This is a scam you're helping him run, Senator Reid.
Here's our guarantee: if you won't do something about Lieberman immediately -- and that means REMOVING HIM FROM POWER -- we will do something about you.
Excuse the language, but we're in no mood for double-dealing bullshit this year. If you stand with someone who trashes our candidate, YOU'RE part of the problem.
Dump Lieberman NOW.
(I don't usually ask for recommends, but I'm asking now. I want this diary seen by anyone in Washington who reads this blog. I want our Democratic leaders to know that we will not put up with this nonsense any longer, and that we'll be making that clear with our donations, our support, our hard work, or lack thereof.
It's time for Reid and his Senate colleagues to choose between Barack Obama and us, OR Lieberman & McCain. They can't have it both ways. Lieberman has forced their hand.
Will the Senate Democrats finally show some SPINE on this?
Thank you.)
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(* A side note: always thought it was telling about Lieberman's poor character that he named his party "Connecticut-for-Lieberman" rather than the reverse. For the longest time, Lieberman has acted like some species of entitled royalty, rather than an American elected official trying to serve the citizens who entrusted him.)