Kos,
Atrios, and many others have picked the wrong target.
There is a supposedly Democratic Senator who also voted for the Iraq war and praised Rice more profusely than Lieberman. But, unlike Lieberman this Senator from a heavily Democratic state has time and time again sold out working Americans.
The two most important pieces of domestic legislation from Bush's first term were the first tax cut and the Medicare bill (aka the Pharma and HMO Protection Act of 2003). Dianne Feinstein supported both. Joe Lieberman opposed both.
I generally support Democratic positions on foreign policy issues, but I am a Democrat mainly because of the party's stances on domestic issues. When an elected official votes for massive tax cuts for the rich while thirty million Americans go without health care and votes with the HMO's and Pharma instead of America's seniors, he or she is no longer a Democrat.
If we are going to have a purge, Dianne Feinstein should be the first to go.
Dianne Feinstein in her own words:
On the Bush
tax cuts:
The President requested a $1.6 trillion tax cut over ten years. This reconciliation bill will cost $1.35 trillion -- still a sizable amount -- over 11 years, including $100 billion for economic stimulus. This bill contains several provisions which I believe are important to assure the continued long-term economic health of the American economy and which will benefit many hard-working American families.
On the BushMedicare Bill:
While the new prescription drug coverage under Medicare isn't perfect, I voted for it because it provides voluntary prescription drug coverage for 41 million seniors and disabled Americans, including 4 million in California. I believe this was the only chance we had to get this done.
It does, however, establish six, three-year demonstration pilot programs in 2010 where Medicare will compete with private insurers - to determine if there are ways to make Medicare more financially competitive.
On the War in Iraq:
I voted to authorize the president to use force against Iraq.
On liar Condoleezza Rice:
Mr. President, I thank the Chair and the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. I had the pleasure of introducing Dr. Rice to the Foreign Relations Committee. I thought I might just come to the floor of the Senate and share with the Senate as a whole some of my feelings and beliefs about this nominee.
I consider myself a friend of Dr. Rice's. She is a fellow Californian. I have known her. We have participated together in various think tank discussions. I know the bright, incisive mind that she has. I also know her background. This is a woman who was born 50 years ago in the segregated South, in Alabama. She has been able to reach the highest level of academia and public service. Can you imagine, she went to college at the age of 15 and graduated at the age of 19. Not many people know that. In January of 2001, she became the first African-American woman to serve as National Security Adviser. She has distinguished herself as a thoughtful, determined, and hard-working individual. Consequently, I believe she can be a strong and effective voice for America's interests abroad.
Joe Lieberman in his own words:
On the Bush Tax Cut
Now, let me talk about the opportunity for tax cuts. The American people have earned a tax cut. As good as the economy has been in recent years, there are millions of Americans who need a tax cut. The question I think we have to ask is: What is the most constructive and fair way to return part of the surplus to those who helped create it, because, after all, the surplus comes from the revenues that people pay to our government. The revenues that people pay to our government have gone up because the economy has improved. And the economy has improved because of the investment and innovation and hard work of the American people. I think the answer here is to construct and adopt a broad-based progressive tax cut, one that is directed at the middle class, which is, after all, the backbone of our society and our economy. Let me suggest and mention three possibilities to do this in a fiscally responsible way.
On the Medicare Bill:
"This bill is a Trojan Horse," Lieberman said. "It has a nice name, but it brings within the walls of Medicare a mix of special interest provisions that will cause great harm to older Americans, raising rates, cutting benefits and ending Medicare as we know it. I don't know if this bill covers painkillers, but I hope so, because it's going to cause a lot of pain for a lot of older Americans."
Lieberman is not perfect, but he is a real Democrat. Feinstein is just a disgrace.
Update:Oh yeah, Feinstein's husaband is also a war-profiteer. (Via sean mykael)
