Joe Lieberman missed today’s vote on the $87 billion package for Iraq so he could attend the
Arab American Institute conference in the metropolitan area with the largest concentration of Arab outside of the Middle East. So do you think his campaign is satisfied they got press like
this ?
LIEBERMAN CRITICIZED BY AUDIENCE MEMBERS AT ARAB AMERICAN POLITICAL CONFERENCE
DETROIT (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman spoke Friday about restoring peace and trust in the Middle East, but did little to calm anger among Arab-Americans critical of his support for Israel.
"What about the wall?" shouted several of those attending the Arab American Institute leadership conference in Detroit.
They were referring to Israel's plan to build a barrier that juts into the West Bank.
Most of the candidates appeared via closed circuit television, although Clark was reported too ill to attend and sent a surrogate instead.
Update [2003-10-17 17:30:2 by DHinMI]:
According to an updated version of the AP story, Lieberman did end up getting back to DC in time to vote for the Iraq appropriation.
The crowd did applaud some of Lieberman's comments, including his calls for tolerance, unity and better treatment of immigrants. But some of those attending said they were disturbed when Lieberman defended Israeli forces' tearing down Palestinian homes as destruction, not terrorism...
Lieberman was the first of eight Democratic presidential candidates scheduled to address the conference Friday and Saturday. He left Detroit in time to return to Capitol Hill and vote in favor of President Bush's $87 billion plan to support military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and rebuild Iraq.
U.S. Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts and John Edwards of North Carolina, as well as Kucinich, spoke to the conference by satellite so they could remain in Washington to vote on the package.
U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri planned to attend the conference Friday night and give his remarks, while former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois were scheduled to speak Saturday.