Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Joe Lieberman's idea of foreign policy. SUPPORT NED LAMONT

Don't look now, but former President Bill Clinton just pushed back.

Meanwhile, Israel
just blinked. It's bad, but we told you so. This
article in Haaretz says it brilliantly.

But after showing
up for Joe, Clinton just threw a significant challenge to the
Lieberman line. Seriously, what is Joe's
position on the Middle East? I've asked this question before. Does Senator
Lieberman believe in a cease fire and reasserting America's honest broker
status in the Middle East? Or is Senator Lieberman for allowing the bombing to continue until Hezbollah is obliterated, which will claim hundreds more civilian lives, as well as Israeli soldiers? Someone needs to start asking this question.

Does Joe Lieberman agree with Bill Clinton? A cease fire between Israel and
Hezbollah is important and it should come now.

Bill Clinton speaking out on the importance of a cease fire is not a small
thing. In addition, his criticism of Israel bombing the airport is significant
for the reason he stated, not to mention the fact that if Hezbollah gets stronger
and the Siniora government weaker, Israel will pay the price.

The United States and other western countries should be pushing hard for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, along with the insertion of an international peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, former U.S. president Bill Clinton said Wednesday. The Islamic group Hezbollah's tactics are at the root of the latest bloody conflict in the region, but Clinton also questioned the length to which Israel has gone to defend itself. “It's important for us to get some kind of ceasefire now,” Clinton said. (snip) “The danger in this Israeli strategy is that Hezbollah attacks with rockets, then hides among civilians,” he told 5,000 people at a sold-out event at the Halifax Metro Centre. “No matter how measured the response is, if you go after them, you're going to kill innocent people.” Hezbollah has tried to do what Hamas has done in the Palestinian territories and said, “when it suits us we'll be a political party and when it suits us we'll go to war,” Clinton told former Canadian ambassador to Washington Frank McKenna in a question-answer session following the speech. Clinton also said Israel went too far in bombing the airport in Beirut. “I understand why (Israel) wanted to degrade their military capacity, but I question whether it was worth it to wreck the airport because the airport was the symbol of the new Lebanon.” Clinton calls on western leaders to broker Lebanese ceasefire

Then Lieberman
should be asked about Iraq. Frankly, Congress, minus Murtha, Kerry, Feingold
and a few other Democratic leaders, seems to be asleep, while our troops wonder
why they fight.

… “The first time somebody you know dies, the first thing you ask yourself is, 'Well, what did he die for?' “ “At this point, it seems like the war on drugs in America,” added Spec. David Fulcher, 22, a medic from Lynchburg, Va., who sat alongside Steffey. “It's like this never-ending battle, like, we find one IED, if we do find it before it hits us, so what? You know it's just like if the cops make a big bust, next week the next higher-up puts more back out there.” “My personal opinion, I don't speak for the rest of anybody, I just speak for me personally, I think civil war is going to happen regardless,” Steffey responded. “Maybe this country needs it: One side has to win. Be it Sunni, be it Shiite, one side has to win. It's apparent, these people have made it obvious they can't live in unity.” It was dark now save for one fluorescent light and the cigarette tips glowing red. “I mean, if you compare the casualty count from this war to, say, World War II, you know obviously it doesn't even compare,” Fulcher said. “But World War II, the big picture was clear — you know you're fighting because somebody was trying to take over the world, basically. This is like, what did we invade here for?” “How did it become, 'Well, now we have to rebuild this place from the ground up'?” Fulcher asked. … 'Waiting to Get Blown Up' Some Troops in Baghdad Express Frustration With the War and Their Mission

If you want to stay the course in Iraq, Lieberman is your man, however, we don't, so he's not. If you believe in progress here at home and changing the course in Iraq and the entire Middle East, start beating the drum for
Ned Lamont. There's not much time left and the home stretch is always the hardest. Email your friends, offer to campaign for Lamont, do whatever you can. …by the way, just found out that Michael Schiavo will campaign for Lamont on Friday.

Here's one
soldier's view on Lieberman v. Lamont. The soldier is serving in Afghanistan
and casting an absentee ballot for Ned Lamont.

I am a registered Democrat and a soldier currently serving in Afghanistan with the 1-102 Infantry Battalion of the Connecticut National Guard. Last week I received some newspaper clippings in the mail that sparked my interest: Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has been successfully challenged and forced into a primary that will take place in August. As some readers may have heard, in January my battalion was issued substandard equipment for our deployment to Afghanistan. Originally, we were issued M-16s rather than M-4 carbines, rifles with shorter barrels and collapsible butt stocks. As a politcally active member of the battalion, I began to get in touch with Representative DeLauro and Representative Simmons, who both responded quickly and enthusiastically. Senator Dodd also responded quickly and gave me prompts on how to further validate my request for weapns. However, I did not receive a response from Senator Lieberman’s office. I continued to leave messages for both him and his military aide, now senior counselor, Fred Downey, who reprsented Sen. Lieberman at the Battalion’s send off ceremony on Jan. 4. After several messages, I finally received a return phone call. However, I was not met with the same enthusiams expressed by other legislators; I was immediately confronted with an inquisition that seemed to have the purpose of dispelling the belief that the battalion was ill equipped. Rather than listen to our specific concerns, the “benefits” of the M16 were highlighted and teh advantages of the M4 were downplayed. Lieberman’s office left the impression that they believed we had the equipment we needed, despite the contrasting beliefs of soldiers in my battalion, some who have been on as many as five deployments. The others in Washington were not so quick to abandon us… Lieberman has never hesitated to voice his support for the war, and recently voted against pulling troops out of Iraq, so where was he when over 500 of his own constituents were being sent overseas to fight on behalf of his great country? It appears the senator was so concerned with climbing the political ladder, he forget what his job is really about: the people… When my absentee ballot returns to the States next month, Lamont’s name, not Lieberman’s, will bear the check. when August 8 arrives, will you stand for the hypocrisy? Sincerely, Colin D. Halloran

I'd also like to know if Lieberman will back John Bolton. Steve Clemons has more on the Bolton hearings.