Where is the truth, justice and American Way? Where is the all that is right and good in the universe? How can it be, that twelve hours ago, Harry Reid and at least enough Democratic Senators to make it matter, were willing to put bare feet to keester and rid the Democratic Caucus of the stinking corpse of Joe Lieberman...only to now see the prospective successes of Al Franken, Mark Begich, and Jim Martin, have 56 of the most powerful men and women in the Free World, all re-socking their feet and lacing up their boots all at the same time?
As a more than a little bit vocal leader of the "Eviscerate Joe the Scumbag Club of America"...frankly, I am utterly and completely...and yes, even totally, dejected at the dilemma which every right-thinking Democrat now faces.
On the one hand, any of us would sacrifice a vital organ located somewhere south of the Old Mason-Dixon Line, in order to secure a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, to go along with a 50+ seat differential in the House of Representatives. Then again, should Franken, Begich and Jim Martin all secure Seats in the United States Senate...that 60th vote...the one which would enable harry Reid to tell Mitch McConnell to SIT DOWN, AND SHUT UP...would belong to Joe the Scumbag.
Now...I have a pretty good idea how Harry the Pragmatist will likely deal with this issue. More sadly than I care to openly acknowledge...Barack Obama has already weighed in on the subject, by telegraphing either an, "I really don’t harbor any grudge against Joe the Scumbag," or... "President-Elect Obama supports Senator Liebermans continued participation in the Democratic Caucus"...depending on which version of the story you choose to believe.
Either way, Barack Obama has opted to open his Presidency with a compromise that, while perhaps benefiting his immediate and long-term agenda...also operates to suggest the possibility that the Obama Administration just might not incorporate the Change element which had been hoped for by at least some of those who actively supported Obama the Candidate.
I admit, I wrestle to some extent with the issue of the principle of loyalty, honor and character...or the lack thereof, in the case of Joe the Scumbag...as opposed to how best to actually implement the REAL Change which we must at least presume to still be the cornerstone of an Obama Presidency. Maybe...it would be a little easier to support practicality over principle if we were talking about ANYONE other than Joe the Scumbag. As simple as it may seem or sound...you can’t spell Lieberman, without L-I-E.
Anyone interested enough to read this posting already knows the mountainous case against, and the SINGLE, solitary reason in support of, the ongoing presence of Joe the Scumbag as both Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and as any part of the Senate Democratic Caucus. In my mind, however, the much larger issue is again the question of whether I can count on President-Elect Obama in a situation where my life, and those of my wife and children, are at stake.
I have already had my conversation with Harry Reid. I have already had my conversation with an advisor to the President-Elect. I have openly professed my support for the public maiming of Joe the Scumbag (in a purely political sense), on websites whose monthly readership totals into the hundreds of thousands. There is nothing else I can say, nor any inconsistent position I am willing to express.
Joe Liarman is no more, no less than the largest single mass of wasted flesh that I have witnessed in my adult life. And, trust me, I have run into more than my fair share of people who I am certain God has put into his personal "Oops Column". There is no justification or excuse for the actions of Joe the Scumbag, nor any excuse, in fact, for the entity, itself.
It may be in the best interests of Barack Obama and his political agenda, to have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. It cannot possibly be in the best interests of the hoards of first-time voters who made the difference in electing Barack Obama, to see principle give way to political expedience in the very first exercise of their new President’s judgment.
In 1983, University of Nebraska Head Football Coach, and later U.S. Congressman, Tom Osborne and his Cornhuskers trailed the University of Miami by a score of 31-24 with less than a minute left in what would be the National Championship Game for that NCAA Football Season. Nebraska scored a touchdown, and with only 48 seconds left to play, was now on the wrong end of a 31-30 score. Osborne and Nebraska had come into the game ranked #1, and with a tie in the Orange Bowl, would likely have held onto the #1 Ranking, and won the National Championship. Tom Osborne didn’t see it that way.
Coach Osborne was not willing to back into the national Championship. Osborne had, by all accounts, one of the greatest teams in the history of college football. He also felt that to be recognized forever, as having been one of the best teams in the history of college football...he had to WIN the Big Game. With his entire coaching staff literally begging Osborne to kick the virtually automatic extra point, take the tie, collect the National Championship Trophy at mid-field and get back to Lincoln, Nebraska as fast as possible...Osborne sent his offense onto the field to attempt a 2 point conversion.
Quarterback, Turner Gil’s pass went right through the hands of his intended receiver in the back of the End Zone. Nebraska lost the National Championship Game by a score of 31-30. The University of Miami had won the Big Game, and was rewarded with a National Championship, and the trophy that went with it.
The flight back to Lincoln was as could only have been expected. From the moment the pass was dropped, Osborne was subjected to questions about every aspect of his character ranging from judgment to his sanity. Few could believe he had run the risk of giving up something that 100 players and 12 coaches had worked for, for an entire year...just to prove a point. Fewer paid any real attention, as Osborne attempted to explain his position on how important it was for his team to walk off of that field with their head held high...as winners...and not, as a team who placed expedience above their collective belief in themselves, their team, and their core belief that they were in fact, one of the best teams in the history of their sport.
The following day, despite the loss, at least one major college football poll, that conducted by the Dallas Morning News, declared the University of Nebraska to be the 1983 NCAA Football National Champions. The 1983 Dallas Morning News National Championship Trophy resides in Lincoln, Nebraska today, because at least those voters wanted Tom Osborne to know that his unwillingness to take the easy way out, and his commitment to the core principles which he brought INTO that game, were the same principles which he would take with him when the final gun sounded.
Barack Obama can have a 60 Seat Senate. But...at what price? Again, I am compelled to ask...If the President-Elect is prepared to leap at his very first opportunity to take the easy way out...what will he do with 48 Seconds left and only one chance left to win the Big Game? Will he play for the tie, or go for the win?
I voted for the guy who I felt would not hesitate for a single second, to send the offense back onto the field to take its best shot at showing the world what they were made of. I did NOT vote for a President who would end up having to rely on the whim of Joe the Scumbag to put the final two points on the board.
If Tom Osborne couldn’t get two points when it mattered most...he didn’t think his team deserved to win. If President Obama can’t get Arlen Specter or Olympia Snow to wear #60 on his team, on any given cloture vote...maybe he didn’t deserve to win, either.
Note to the President-Elect...If you are seen as capable of being ridiculed and later steamrolled by Joe the Scumbag...how will you command the respect of people whose actions might put all of our lives at stake?