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

[Mozart123]

Shrewd move? Move like a lewd move. Lieberman's ratings in Connecticut are almost as bad as Bush’s nationally. He’ll be gone in 2012, and good riddance.

[BillyBlastoff]

Senators serve too damn long. Six years allows too much damage. The lack of term limits is ridiculous.

[SweetTart]

It is not seeking "revenge" in wanting to have Lieberman removed from chair of the Homeland Security committee. The public voted for change in the way Washington does business, and we want our elected officials to do their jobs. How many people are aware that as Chairman of his powerful committee, Lieberman chose not to instigate any investigations into the debacle that was Katrina? He has shown himself to be a truly loyal friend to the Bush administration, and I can easily forsee him hamstringing any efforts to investigate their wrong doing. It's a shame that our Democrats in the Senate seem all to willing to look the other way and practice this form of Senatorial "old boys club."

All we can do is continue supporting truly progressive candidates and representatives, and work to get the ineffective or uncaring ones out of office

[heyjoe]

I certainly voted for CHANGE, but looking at the Team Obama is putting together looks more like 1992. I though he had more to offer. Silly me!

[kmich718]

It's amazing to me how these people think we're that stupid.. "shrewd move" my a$$!

[SweetTart]

I think the Democrats in Congress, especially the long-standing ones, are truly out of touch with the progressive side of the party. They don't have much respect for us, and think we "just don't get it." We are losing respect every day for them, and know that they don't get it.

It seems simple enough -- we don't want more of the same. Sadly, that's what we're getting.

[kmich718]

And yet, we want experience as well as foward thinking. How do we get experience if not to look at what worked in the past?? It just depends on who from the "experienced" pile can look forward with Pres-Elect and who needs to go!

I think Lieberman needed to go... but what do I know???

[liseworks]

CNN - Texas grand jury indicted Cheney / Gonzalez for imprisonment of prisoners at Guan ....

[Bluedog12]

6:52 PM Joe Lieberman still sucks.

[marinade]

Congress still sucks. What does it mean when we can't even get rid of the very worst?

It's no wonder people are pissed.

[Georgiapundit]

Reid: I am satisfied by what we did today.

In other words, damn the democratic voter, power is more important.

[jdenham]

Chairman Dean I have great respect for you but you are full of Crap on Liebermann. To allow him to continue in his Chairmanship does not set well with me. It appears the Party has no respect for itself or for the Progressive wing of the party. I think the Progressive side of the party may need to go in a different direction than the Democratic party. We need to start looking for Progressive candidates to run against these Democratic Senators in 2010, many are too old and have no courage left. We need a new Majority Leader, Senator Reed has done nothing to prove he deserves the job.

[viewfromuphere]

Seems to me several weeks ago...all over this website there was crying and second guessing because Barack Obama wouldn't do this or wouldn't say that or didn't hit hard enough...r­emember all that stuff.

And the loudest complaints were from the "progressives" weren't they.

So ...who wound being right...I think it was the president elect wasn't it.

Is Joe Lieberman really the hill the left flank wants to die on..

If he is....the Newt Gingrich's and Karl Roves will be smiling right now cause they know how to exploit a division especially if offered on silver plate.

[SweetTart]

I completely agree with your point that those who have identified and voted Democrat for years should no longer automatically do so. Democrats currently in Congress should earn our votes by their actions. If they have not done so, we need to throw our support behind a truly progressive alternative.

[POTUS2008]

Dean is very smart and I think the GOP trolls are acting pretty silly on huff lately.

[BartLA]

Obama's shrewd. Now Lieberman owes him. And CT will vote Lieberman out the next time he runs. It's a win-win situation for the Dems.

[amistad]

Bart,
I agree with you wholeheartedly. Obama is very shrewd; Lieberman is beholding to him. If he goes south it is his butt, not Obama's that is going to be hung out to dry and the people of CT will vote him out. The repubs don't have a m@rtyr, so Lieberman won't be the next presidential candidate for the rebubs. It is a totally brilliant move. It is unfortunate that there are so many fair weather Obama supporters AND the brotha's term has not even started yet!
These fair weather people seem to think that Obama has to run things the way THEY see fit or else. They also think they are smarter than Obama. Unfortunate.
Obama is heads and shoulders better than many of these posters and he knows what he is doing.

[SweetTart]

the problem with this thought is it is based on Lieberman actually feeling beholden. Lest we forget, Obama campaigned for Lieberman when he was facing a tough battle against Ned Lamont. You can see how Lieberman repaid him. It is foolish to think Lieberman will do anything but continue as he has done in the past.

[pdxmike]

I'm no fan of Joe. But this is simply smart politics. Keep him in the fold. Joe owes Obama now. He also is close to Collins and Snowe. If all three of them can be counted to vote for Obama's agenda (or at least to break a filibuster), then they are past the 60 vote mark.

It's similiar to the primaries against Clinton. Many of us wanted him to take the gloves off, and go after her big time. But he held back. She ended up being a big player for him in the general election, and may serve in his cabinet.
Obama is a sharp cookie.

[mcfried]

This isn't O.bama's decision it is the decision of Democrats in congress. And please show me one piece of evidence that Joe can be trust... if anything their are mounds of evidence to the contrary.

[viewfromuphere]

Ok fine so the Democrats punish Lieberman, strip of his committee chair and then what....he still has a number of years to do nothing but cause trouble anyway.

Only it will be a bit tougher to keep tabs on him as he caucuses with the other side.

Reality bites don't it.

[jdenham]

Liebermann will stab Obama and the Democratic party in the back the first chance he gets.

[diamondgirl9]

No doubt.

[liseworks]

Courtesy of BlueStateMan on another thread :
----------­----------
Just a thought...­.

It's been bandied about that President-elect Obama is going to call for the dissolution of the Department of Homeland Security due to, in no small part, it's "lumbering inefficiency".

[MrBU]

OK, let Lieberman keep his chair.

But under the condition that he will never again to campaign against another Democrat.

Including Ned Lamont.

[Icantbelieveher]

Holy cow, we don't need Hannity or Limbaugh, the people here have turned on our leaders and they are not even in office!

I know there is so much that Obama needs to be able to do without republican filibuster, we need this vote whether we like it or not! Everything Obama does is well thought out. He's not making it up as he goes along. You have to give him time to prove himself! He hasn't taken office yet, don't give up on him!

[mcfried]

I trust a number of G.O.P senators over Lieberman to vote for what's best for this country any day and I'm a Democrat. As for not even in office ? I don't blame O.bama for this one bit - this is all down to the spineless Reid et all and in case you haven't been paying attention they suck- Dem andRep! This is why congress has a rating in the toilet.

[canucklivinginUSA]

Thank you Mcfried. At least you are blaming the right culprits here, not Obama who did not vote

[NYNY]

So Lieberman's a self-proclaimed independent except when he wants a Democratic chairmanship of a committee? I get it.... throw the bum out.

[suemag]

He really is a Democrat. He ran as an independent in the last election because he lost the primary, and he calls himself an 'Independent Democrat". whatever that is. But he's still a Democrat.

[mcfried]

Did you miss him campaigning for McCain this election ? He is no Democrat.

[Elliott32]

Guess what...Lie­berman is chair of Homeland Security, and guess what else...Hom­eland Security is responsible for security at Obama's inauguration. This scares me. I wouldn't trust Lieberman to secure a toaster, let alone the security of our next president.

[viewfromuphere]

what are you saying...e­xactly?

[ErikW65]

I agree with the governor.

Revenge is also not congruent with Obama's messages of not playing in to the politics of personal destruction, and of working across the aisle to get things done for the American people instead of playing political party games.

And remember it was W. who said "You're either with us or against us." I don't think any of us on the Left should be comfortable mimicking a Bush strategy. If Bush espoused it, it must be toxic, bad karma. Let it go, people.

[mcfried]

Lieberman agrees with Bush on most foreign policy issues and in my opinion is a closer to Bush than a lot of GOP members of the senate. stripping him of his seat does not make him against "us" but allowing him to keep it rewards behavior that was unacceptable. He should represent the people of CT and the Democrats should hold him accountable for his behavior. IMHO neither of those 2 things have happened with this decision.