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

[tzbar]

New flicks:


"The three faces of Joe" ... By Oliver Stone


"Joe, the third Mavrick " ... A Disney production

[Coinyer101]

i may be a passionate obama supporter, but, i'm not happy with this at all. this is why i stay independent. there is always a 'game' to play in DC. i hope barack does not 'play'.

[Whinger]

Would it be shrewd to give Osama Bin Laden a pardon for his co-operation?

I would say no - but some Democrats are capable of putting a spin on anything!

[TheNonVoter]

I did my bit to help get Obama voted in, but I am miffed that Lieberman is still around.

I am all for reconciliation and working together, but if he as much steps out of (the democratic) line in the next 4 years, Harry Reid should be made to resign.

[strandwolf]

So, is Lieberman for Franken or Coleman? In line or out of it?

[Treasonous1]

All of this would be much more significant if he wasn't charing a comette and subcomette in the are where his 10% vote in oposition to teh Dems comes from. And the charimanship is not just a token role, from there the person actually determines what issues teh commitee takes up as and as such even which issues reach the senate as a whole. But hey that is not a reason not to let the Republicans stil set the agend on national security issues after the last eight years. So I am all for unity and not holding a grudge, and would be fine if he had kept his role on the environmental subcomette (heck even make a deal to make him chairman of the whole comette) because he does share teh general views of hist party, but not of homeland secuity and armed services where he is actually to the right of half teh republicans in opposing the views of teh party that just elected him to chair those comeetes on his behalf.

[whatfreshhellisthis]

I loathe Joe Lieberman, but at least two men whom I respect---Barack Obama and Howard Dean---believe that the right thing to do is to let him keep his committee chair. I defer to their judgement, especially because he can be sent away at a later time if his behavior continues to be so egregious. Those who are already saying that Obama has betrayed them strike me as "summer soldiers and sunshine patriots." Let's give him a chance, for crying out loud!

[Treasonous1]

The reason we are not republicans is that we do not just fall in line behind our leaders and defer to their judgments when what they say flies in the face of logic. Take a look at this post from teh link below and listen to the audio and tell me if you think Lieberma can be counted on to prvent a republican filibuster. I think it is more likely he will lead it and give it all the more wight since it is a "democrat in good stading" with key chairmanships that is doing so.

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/04/lieberman-caucus-dems/

[insightfulman]

I tremendously admire Dean who deserves more of the spotlight in the Winners’ Circle, but Wow!

"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."

It’s frightening to think that anyone, and especially Joe Lieberman, the so-called, “conscience of the Senate,” would change his vote on such basic moral issues as “climate change,” “election reform,” and unwarranted Republican filibusters, based on his party label. If Lieberman’s core values and politics are that shallow, he doesn’t belong at the top of any major committee.

The Chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee should be in the hands of a trusted Democrat. Mr. Lieberman’s Worldview is not appropriate for the agency that collects and analyzes data from all of the intelligence agencies.

Lieberman is not a Democrat despite his self-proclaimed label as an “Independent Democrat.” He may be allowed to caucus “with” the Democrats, he is not “of” the Democrats.

[SynapseTX]

Sorry, but while this may seem a "shrewd move" - they are NEVER going to win Georgia.

1) The R already has the inherent wind, due to winning the first round, but just being short of the 50% line.

2) Lower turnout ALWAYS favors republicans, runoffs are notorious for frighteningly low turnout.

3) There is no major OBAMA factor this time.

4) Of anything, now the repub base will be more mobilized due to the terror of a filibuster-proof majority of D's* (excluding TRAITOR JOE LIEBERMAN) The R's realize that Joe can be made to carry their water now, even if only through replays of his old statements...

[majorteddy]

Joe , we love you to death.

[valkyrie607]

The fact that Joe votes 90% with the Dems just goes to show how far the Dems have to go.

[NWBrunette]

Now there's a nail that just got smashed on the head. Thank you.

[George Whizz]

A lot of positive progress is going to have to happen in this country between now and the 2010 elections, because there are a lot of PO'ed people.

[NicoloM]

Oh, do I want Ole' Joe to pay... but this is politically shrewd. Not because of what Howard said, but because now Lieberman has something to lose if he goes renegade on anything, otherwise he is whining on Sunday morning talk shows about everything that comes up. If he betrays O now, then even the Lieberman for Liebarman party won't back him.
If Hillary takes State, then the right wing of the Democratic party is locked down (and Bill is muzzled).
I don't like everything that Obama does, but I'll tell you that he is smart. Hillary won't renegade as SOS because she won't have the senate seat to launch from in 2016.
If Bush fights automaker bailouts, and Obama can save the trucks for all the people with the little stickers in the back window pissing on other trucks, or the ones that make left turns all day on Nascar, the Republican resistence will be down to Sarah Palin and the rest of the end of days crowd.
Its been a while since a practicing lawyer was the President, it does seem souless to unemotionally eviscerate the opposition so methodically, but it is effective.

[djonan]

spin-spin-sugar

[sib]

Even if the Democrats get the 60 seats in the Senate, I'm afraid they vote along Republicans. That's what they do and they are very good at. I enthusiastically voted for Obama but I feel I have already been betrayed.

[mcfried]

This has nothing to do with O.bama - this is the spineless Senate Dems. They have been behaving like this for years. Do yourself a favor call and yell at them, their numbers are available on the web - send an email. It's very cathartic . Betrayal for a vote for a president is ridiculous. I assume you are new to politics - so some friendly advice, you can't take your eyes off them for a minute.

[RayMD]

According to Dean, Reid, others, this is consistent with Obama's wishes.
Ugh

[rootwoman123]

Dean should chair these committees! He possesses qualities and attributes commensurate with this level of authority. Lieberman does not. His actions are consistent with those of a liar, traitor, lunatic or a combination thereof, i.e., he is unsuited for the tasks at hand.

[liseworks]

Hear, hear - .....I wonder what Dean has in mind for himself ?