Dean: Keeping Lieberman As Chairman Is Shrewd Move

DNC Chair Howard Dean welcomed the decision to keep Senator Joseph Lieberman as head of the Homeland Security Committee and, consequently, in the Democratic Caucus, saying the move was pragmatic, magnanimous and politically shrewd.

Speaking to the Huffington Post just moments after it was announced that Democrats in the Senate had voted to keep Lieberman as committee chair, Dean said the party had done the right thing by not giving into urges for retribution.

"You know, the desire of revenge is great, of course. But the truth is public policy doesn't run on revenge very well," he said. "And when you see the trouble this country has gotten into in terms of foreign policy, where Bush basically ran a foreign policy based on petulance because he was mad at, for example, Mexico, for abstaining on the Security Council when the Iraq War came up, if you have to actually run the country, it is best not to do it based on feeling of anger towards your enemies."

The Democratic Party chair, who will be leaving his post this January, went on to applaud Barack Obama for putting hurt feelings aside and welcoming the Connecticut Independent back into the party fray. He also predicted that the caucus would benefit from keeping Lieberman, who spent the past year campaigning alongside John McCain, often criticizing Obama and the Democratic Party.

"My point of view is that Barack won," Dean said. "He can afford to be magnanimous. And if we happen to win both recounts and Georgia, Joe is the 60th vote. And the truth is -- and I certainly don't have to defend Joe Lieberman because, you know, we have an interesting history -- but the fact is, he does vote 90 percent of the time with the Democrats. And no, he shouldn't have said all those things. But why not clean the slate? Why not start all over again? Why not allow him to vote with us on the 90 percent of the stuff? He will be a good vote on climate change -- and this matters. He may be a good vote on election reform, which I hope we will get to. So, you know, he may end up - though it is a little against the odds -- he may end up being the vote that allows us to conduct business when Mitch McConnell decides we shouldn't."

Comments

[Tom95134]

Lieberman may end up at the 60th vote in the Senate. Also, it provides Obama some leverage when dealing with McCain (since he was a nice guy and supported keeping McCain's buddy Lieberman in his chairmanship). It's a ganble but could prove to be one that pays off by putting these two under "obligation".

[Beninn]

There is no need to keep Lieberman in the Dem tent.

The Myth of the Democratic Filibuster-Proof Senate

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/143

With Obama's blessing, what the Senate Democrats did today was about sending the message to the base of the Democratic Party that lefties are dispensible, replaceable by moderate Republicans.

[thatvisionthing]

So why not go after some true Republicans and not this traitorous slime? THAT would be clean and true bipartisanship, not slimy liebermanic slime. In fact, wasn't that what change was supposed to mean?

[markkraft]

It's not about fillibusters. It's about there always being Democrats from certain states that can't afford to upset Big Oil, Big Coal, Big Healthcare, etc.

Democrats don't vote unanimously, so having an extra vote increases the odds exponentially of legislation passing...

And corporations arne't going to just lie down on these issues. Big Oil won't just surrender to Big Green. Big Healthcare won't agree to changes that could hurt their profits. And so, they'll try to fearmonger, to turn voters against legislation, to stop change in its tracks.

For this reason alone -- and ignoring all the benefits of starting your administration on a reasoned, balanced, nonvengeful manner -- Lieberman's vote is very significant.

[TimberGhost]

Neither of those two conduct themselves with any meaning of the word obligation. Both are opportunistic scavangers who will bite any hand that feeds them to further their own agenda.

I'd rather sleep with a boa constrictor than have to deal with either of them.

[markkraft]

Both Lieberman and McCain know which way the wind blows... and right now, that means playing nice with the incredibly popular President-elect. As long as Obama is popular with the center of the country, and doesn't act rash or overtly partisan, then Lieberman and McCain aren't going to attack him.

[SammyD]

Does Howard Dean always look so stupid? Every pic I see of him makes him look like an idiot. I know everything he says is idiotic but he even looks idiotic. Yeehaw!!!

[DrDemon]

lol - I'm sorry, but that's funny!

[PHM]

And, I suppose you're a real looker!

Given Dr. Dean's brains and success (medical doctor, Governor, architect of the 50-state strategy--it got Obama elected) I'd say he can look any way he wants.

Let's hear an accounting of your great achievements.

And, back to the topic at hand...he is, once again, right. Obama did the right thing for his administration and for his ability to govern. It's the change we all voted for!

[abt]

Joe Lieberman is a traitor - to the United States and the Democratic Party - and Democrats all across the country will not forget.

[DrDemon]

Well the Democrats in congress FORGOT!

[RegLib]

We Democrats owe Howard Dean big time. I've been all in favor of tossing Lieberman out on his can, but I have huge respect for Dean and his political savvy. If Dean says keep the weasel, I think I'm going to shut up about it.

[raindrips]

I'm with you RegLib.
I have lots of angst about Joe. But I completely trust Obama and Howard Dean.
They are the kind of people that I feel comfortable turning the power of my vote over to.

[DrDemon]

To the leader of the weak-links:

--- > WHATEVER !

[SouthFloridaDem]

OK, then boot him because he's done a lousy job all these years. Not one investigation during the most corrupt administration in recent history -- you call that a competent committee chairman? Sorry, I'm not buying this "shrewd move" stuff.

[JoeDoorman]

Lieberman will hurt the Democratic Party again... in the future... Its what he does.

You should have gotten rid of him when you had the chance.
Everyone would have understood... we all saw what Lieberman did.

Shrewd politics! ...if you keep it quite... but your telling everyone!
Watch... in four years a Republican will be in the White House and Lieberman will be instrumental in making it happen.

THE WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST WILL NOT BE OVER IN FOUR YEARS!

So when Obama tries to pull out our troops.... what is Lieberman going to say?
"I agree with the President "

No good can come from this.

And the thought that Lieberman would vote with the Reps 90% of the time if we pulled his chairmanship.
It's a bad joke.

The nightmare continues...

[SwingingFromCenter]

This site can try to spin it all it likes, but the fact of the matter is this just shows the Democrats to be the spineless weasels everybody thinks they are. THey act big and bad and tough...and then cave trying to play nice nice with people who would arrow them in the back.

[DrDemon]

I CONCUR !

Mind you, I am as left as they come...so far left, I'm off the chain!

And once again, I CONCUR!

[GatoPreto]

Howard, you have drunk the Kool Aid my friend, this is plain nuts and you know it. They totally fct you over with the Dean scream man, this one was to be yours 4 years ago. Don't be a salesman.

[willwallace]

oh yeah, forgot about that, he never had a chance...he cant hide he a screaming lu na tic

[iamvalid]

You know what the people who supported democrats wanted.

You lied to us.

You Lied to

You lied to use.

You may as well be republicans like Liberman.
Now toss out the garbage.

[SarahZim]

I don't remember anyone making any promises regarding Lieberman. Furthermore if you are this concerned about Lieberman with the state of the country as it is.....your priorities and outrage are seriously misplaced.

[willwallace]

these are some of your cohorts, dont you know where you are?

[ElectroJones]

I still say that letting that little Reptile keep his Democratic status is a bad mistake to make.

[willwallace]

Obama is taking the higher road, you should support him, so far it can be said he knows what hes doing and he calculates those moves.

[nibblybits]

Dean doesn't think it's shrewd. He says that it was Obama's directive to accept Lieberman, and he doesn't disagree with his directive.

[CaliforniaJake]

Even though I was all for kicking Lieberman to the curb as far as his committee chairmanship is concerned, keeping him may work out for the best. At least I hope it does.

[Beninn]

This was either a good or bad business decision, depending on what your aim was. For the people who vote for Democrats, this was a bad business decision. Lieberman hasn't worked in our interests for years. For Republicans & DLC Democrats, it was a good business decision.

What Senate Democrats did, with Obama's blessing, is about sending the message to the base of the Democratic Party that lefties are dispensible, replaceable by moderate Republicans. The DLC is making the move and blowing off the base of the party. The DLC wants to consolidate its gains in this election & take advantage of the split & disarray within the Republican Party.

There is no other way to explain DLCer Rahm Emanuel's move to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Howard Dean's departure from the DNC after his successful 50-state strategy (over Rahm Emanuel's targeted Congressional districts strategy), DLCer Hillary Clinton as SoS, & DLCer Joe Lieberman keeping the chairmanship of the Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee after his performance in the post which blocked all investigations into the Bush administration's inept performances during catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina & the continuing secret no-bid sweetheart deal contracts costing taxpayers in excess of $50 BILLION (and, with the Paulson $700 billion bailout, still counting).

Face it, people, we got took.

OBAMA - Change that we hope we find in our pockets.

[Beninn]

This was about job performance. Lieberman has failed to achieve what are the Democrats' objectives, or what Democrats SAY are their objectives, for the last eight years. Lieberman and Democrats have helped Bush achieve HIS and REPUBLICAN objectives for years now, to the detriment of the people who put Democrats in office. Democrats have stood idly by while Bush, Cheney, and the Republican Party have emptied the US Treasury into their own and their cronies' pockets, and put the nation on a foundation of quicksand. Democrats whined that they didn't have enough votes to stop Republicans when they were fewer than 50 in the Senate, and now when they are 57 (with 3 pending) in the Senate. It turns out that 60 wouldn't matter either. There is no need to keep Lieberman in the Dem tent - "The Myth of the n Filibuster-Proof Senate" - http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/editorblog/143

As chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, Lieberman blocked investigations into the Bush administration's actions during catastrophes like Hurricane Katrina. Lieberman also blocked inquiries, rubberstamped, the awarding of secret no-bid contracts, sweetheart deals, with companies like Halliburton. And then, there is Blackwater - Lieberman prevented inquiries into their dark doings.

On performance alone, Lieberman should have been yanked.