The Week That Was: The Joe Lieberman Edition

Is this the best Sen. Joe Lieberman can do?  Nice way to end a (somewhat) distinguished career, Joe.  Continuing to lie about Iraq, and full of condescension, at that.

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And if watching it is too painful, here is the operative text. The emphasis is mine.

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: It was stunning to hear you say that there was evidence that Saddam Hussein was working on weapons of mass destruction, given that even President Bush himself has now accepted that there had been no evidence. So on what basis are you saying that?

JOE LIEBERMAN: I'm basing it on the so-called Duelfer Report. Charles D-U-E-L-F-E-R conducted the most comprehensive report on behalf of our government. And it was, nobody thought it was partisan. I want to be very clear: he didn't find big caches of weapons of mass destruction. But he found, and proved I think, that Saddam had every intention, and particularly to develop nuclear weapons, was developing chemical and biological weapons, and had a structure in place including nuclear scientists that he was prepared to support if he broke out of the sanctions, which he was inclined to do. So I think that the evidence is clear that if we did not do what we did that Saddam Hussein would today have at least chemical and biological weapons and have a nuclear program probably like Iran's beginning to move toward capabilities, and that the entire world would be a much less...

HUFFINGTON: Well, based on this completely unfounded assumption, I sincerely hope for the sake of the country that you do not become Secretary of Defense.

LIEBERMAN: Now Arianna, these are not unfounded. Go read the Duelfer Report.

HUFFINGTON: There is nothing in the report that proves anything that you have said.

JOE LIEBERMAN: I don’t think you read it, sweetheart.

And in his retirement speech this week, did Joe Lieberman insinuate that if around now, President Kennedy might be an Independent as well, or even a Republican?

Along the way, I have not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes—Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative. I have always thought that my first responsibility is not to serve a political party but to serve my constituents, my state, and my country, and then to work across party lines to make sure good things get done for them. Whatever the partisan or policy differences that divide us, they are much less important than the shared values and dreams that unite us and that require us to work together to make progress for all. To me, that is what public service and leadership is all about.

My interest in public service was inspired by President John F. Kennedy, who—coincidentally 50 years ago tomorrow in his Inaugural Address—asked us to ask ourselves what we could do for our country and challenged us to bear any burden to assure the survival and success of liberty.  The politics of President Kennedy—service to country, support of civil rights and social justice, pro-growth economic and tax policies, and a strong national defense—are still my politics, and they don’t fit neatly into today’s partisan political boxes any more either.

With his performance this week, I can hardly imagine what Joe Lieberman's farewell speech from the Floor of the Senate in 2012 will be like. Can't come soon enough, though.