Lieberman, Graham Leave Anti-Obama Group Vets For Freedom

The Huffington Post broke the news last week that two of Sen. John McCain's top campaign chairmen were serving on the board of an independent organization behind a set of attack ads against Sen. Barack Obama, an apparent violation of the Arizona Republican's new conflict of interest policy.

The New York Times reports this morning that Lieberman and Graham have both stepped down from their positions the group:

Senators Joseph I. Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, prominent surrogates for Senator John McCain's presidential campaign, stepped down Wednesday from their positions with an independent group that released a pair of Internet advertisements attacking Senator Barack Obama on Iraq.

Mr. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and Mr. Graham, Republican of South Carolina, were both on the policy advisory board to the organization, Vets for Freedom, which on Wednesday released its second Web advertisement in less than a week attacking Mr. Obama.

The senators' positions with the group, which describes itself as a grass-roots advocacy organization pushing for victory in Iraq and Afghanistan, seemed to place them in contravention of new conflict-of-interest rules released by Mr. McCain's campaign that specifically prohibit anyone "with a McCain campaign title or position" from participating in a "527 or other independent entity that makes public communications that support or oppose any presidential candidate."

After inquiries from reporters, the senators released a joint letter to Vets for Freedom on Wednesday saying they had requested a leave from their positions to come into compliance with the new policy.

"This is obviously something we're working through," said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the McCain campaign. "This is the kind of thing that happens when you have the strictest possible policy on these issues."

The new policy was meant to head off embarrassing questions about connections of members of the McCain campaign to special interests that run counter to Mr. McCain's reformist reputation. But adhering to that standard has proved complicated.

Comments

[Canaris]

Typical politicians, only do the right thing after you get caught doing the wrong thing.

Not this time!

Obama '08

[LouisPWu]

Vets for Freedom? Actually, REMFs for Freedom.

[CheneysACoward]

More like REMFs for themselfs A TOATL Republican PAC with a 401(c) 4..

[lthuedk 1]

The kiss of death. (warning: frank image of despicable characters)

http://www.light-to-dark.com/spittle.html

To the militant socialists with the most to lose, like Lieberman, the election will be a sort of personal armageddon, and for others sharing his politic, it will mean investigation and prosecution. Joe represents interests other than his constituent's. There's big money about that wants a religious war and permanent ME occupation, and the Mole is dead center in the middle of it.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/dick_tater_with_joe_mole_and_tony_tool.html

These desperate Neo Cons are on a do or die mission. Should they lose control of the White House, it is highly likely there will be no pardons, and the Neo Con will be a doomed species.

Who knows, the F.B.I. may already have more than enough probable cause to have been wiretapping every Neo Con from CA to NY for some time. Neo Cons should be very concerned for the health and safety of Sen. Obama, indeed.

[Mark2100]

Its nice to see they left their positions with this organization. I wonder what capacity they will be advising them?

[LiberTLover]

And funneling money to them.

[ibsteve2u]

They always get it wrong.

Its "Mr. Lieberman, independent of any loyalty to Connecticut or America, and...".

[Jess27]

You know, I am starting to feel some relief that Gore didn't win in 2000. Comparing Cheney to Lieberman is the same as comparing war with Iraq to war with Iran. The Iraq war has been bad, but a war with Iran would be so much worse.

[Keith52]

To think that a--hole Lieberman could have been our VP... Maybe Bush , Scalia etc. did us a favor.....­. never mind.

[KarateKid]

No, I was thinking the same thing.....­..........

[Manchurian]

When Gore put Lieberman on the ticket as VP, he lost my vote. At the time, I thought Lieberman's blood lust for war against Muslims (both Arabs and Iranians) was a greater threat to our country than anything Bush & Cheney were then proposing (as you may recall, Bush indicated that, under his watch, the US would be minding its own business, from an international intervention standpoint - the first in a long, long litany of lies).

[charlietuna11]

the last eight years have been painful. would they have been any better with a parasite like leiberman mapping out the nations he feels should be nuked? if there is a silver lining we can figuire that one out by ourself. its my contention that gores v.p. selection cost him the election. leiberman brought nothing to the ticket. he was out debated by cheney, its almost like he was selected by the g.o.p. instead of the dems.. this was a classic case of you get what you accept. accepting this fraud as a running mate equals the eight years were now subjected to . i hope a lesson was learned...

[w8aminute]

Now if we can just get them to leave political office.

[Robert11010]

As Bugs would say, "What a buncha maroons ..."

[irishgawdess]

one of my favorite Bugs quotes! And so apropos...

[Eoin45]

"What a buncha maroons ..." I see this over and over again. To posters both left and right on HuffPo. It's MORONS. Maroon is a color.

[ike39]

Lieberman reminds me of the union member that crosses his union picket line during a strike. He is a scab.

[buckbuck11]

That's a perfect analogy. LIEbermann is a commsumate opportunist. It will be nice to see him left out in the cold after the November landslide election.

[jcwtts1]

This is why we have to fund every senate race in the country... the more seats we get the more likely we'll be able to punish Liberman. Can you believe this ahole was our nominee in 2000?

[bobo209]

Joe lieberman s future..A singer at the century village.a bad one at that..oyee­eeeee veyyy

[Bozwellian]

Keep remembering when Lieberman set out to defy the will of the Dems in Conn and went forth with GOP support (who abandon the GOP candidtate JUST to get Joe intalled and thereby in their pocket)remembering too , the CLINTONS supported Joe....he is their kind , willing to do whatever it takes to keep handle of power/empo­werment...­...

[hoodydoody]

End run Joe they call him. The dems in Conn. no longer wanted him. War monger, sold out to the military industrial complex as well as other corporations. He did an end run around the Democratic party and got himself elected with special interest money by repubs who knew they didn't have a snowballs chance in hell getting one of their own in there. He is definitely a part of what is broken in Washington just like Bush!

[TheRealMacDaddy]

That's right...I forgot that Hill and Bill endorsed Joey "the Snot" Lieberman (the nickname was told to me by my Jewish Son-in-Law­...he says that's what he's known as in the AJC). Just one more reason to vote for Obama.

[KeysDan]

True, but it seems like others have been bamboozled by Lieberman over the years. Gore plucked him out of relative obscurity because Holy Joe spoke on the Senate floor against President Clinton for his "immorality" with Monica Lewinsky and Gore wanted to distance himself from Clinton thinking this would help him. More recently, Mr. Obama, on entering the senate sought out Lieberman as his mentor. Senator Obama also supported Lieberman in the Democratic primary against Ned Lamont, dropping Lieberman only later, when he ran as an independent against the Democratic winner, Lamont. Senator Reid, clings to Lieberman to this day, stating that Lieberman will retain his chairmanship of the important Homeland Security Committee, even if the senate is more firmly in the hands of Democrats come November.

[NoLove4HillaryAnymore]

Joe has sacrificed the working people of the United States by let them die in numbers supporting the war in Iraqi and continues to put our troops in harms way by beating the drum to start another war with Iran all in the name of protecting the security of Israel who has over 150 nuclear arsenal. I think we the working class Americans need more protection than the people of Israel in our current stage. The Dems in Conn who supported this A** hole, I am sure are very proud of your votes.

I suggest Joe moves to Israel, run for office, become their President, and bomb Iran instead of taking cover wrapping himself with our flag and provoke destruction that will impact and kill many Americans and their children of next generations. I don’t see him pushing for Israel to start a war with Iran but pushes the US to bomb Iran. Don’t you find that a bit odd?

[huffy2001]

Lieberman has certainly shown his true colors in this campaign. He's a Repug through and through. I hope the CT voters wake up during the next go around.

To think I used to like this guy.