Lieberman Peddles the Old Iraq-9/11 Connection

I had CNN's Situation Room on in the background, when I saw the sight of Senator John McCain and Senator Joseph Lieberman on my TV screen. As you probably know, Lieberman has endorsed Republican McCain for President.

(You also know but for any who have forgotten: Lieberman was a Democrat, then lost his party's 2006 primary to the anti-Iraq-war candidate Ned Lamont, then ran for the Senate anyway as an Independent, and won almost all of the Republican vote and 20% of the Democratic vote. And he's an Independent in the Senate, but is counted as a Democrat.)

On the Situation Room, McCain talked about the surge is working, the surge is working. (Violence is down, and now we can stay there babysitting and shooting and getting shot for the next 10 to 20 years. Yippeee!)

And then Lieberman, asked about his 2006 campaign, said it was important he had defeated the pro-Lamont, antiwar part of the Democratic party because once the 2008 Presidential campaign came around the Lamont part of the party would have trouble with "the American people, who know we're at war with a brutal enemy who attacked us on 9/11."

"We are at war with a brutal enemy who attacked us on 9/11."

Really, Senator Lieberman, and who would that be?

Are we back to looking for Bin Laden in Afghanistan? Have we decided to hell with Musharraf and we've invaded Pakistan to track down Al-Qaeda? Have we deposed the royal family in Saudi Arabia, where most of the hijackers came from, and we've decided to impose democracy on that country?

I'm not in favor of invading Pakistan or deposing the Saudi Arabian royal family, but as ideas they at least CONNECT with 9/11.

But Senator Lieberman didn't mean any of that, did he?

He meant to imply (to mislead, distort, to lie)... that our invading Iraq, a country that did NOT attack us, is connected to the 19 terrorist hijackers who attacked us on 9/11.

And it is not connected, is it, Senator Lieberman, or Senator McCain?

We were not attacked by a country. We were attacked by members of an organization. By 19 individuals who belonged to the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, which had safe haven in Afghanistan (not in Iraq!).

Class, what countries were the individual terrorists from?

Answer: "Fifteen of the attackers were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt, and one from Lebanon."

Class, and how many on that list were from Iraq?

Answer: "16."

No, Vice President Cheney, that is the wrong answer, please sit down again. What? You're going to gather your own intelligence to analyze this list? Very well. Only spend just a few billion dollars on it, alright?

In the lead up to the war, Cheney and Bush and others spent LOTS of time misleading the American people about the non-existent connection between Saddam Hussein and the 9/11 attacks.

But the administration a couple of years ago let go of trying to push that connection (except for Cheney).

And on TV Bush even once admitted there was no connection, which he said in a mumbled, annoyed voice when asked the question explicitly by some reporter during a press conference. (Asked long after we'd been there, of course).

But here is Senator Lieberman SELLING THAT LIE again. And McCain smiled benignly in the background.

I mean most of the liars in the Republicans party who continue to hawk this war and claim it's for our safety no longer try to tie Iraq with 9/11.

They usually do the song and dance about "the war on terror" and we have to fight it everywhere, and now there IS Al-Qaeda in Iraq, though it wasn't there before we invaded. And if we don't fight them over there, we'll have to fight them here. (That last bellicose bromide is said often by McCain.)

I just found Lieberman intoning "the American people... know we're at war with a brutal enemy who attacked us on 9/11" to be enraging. Enraging. We've gone past that lie.

Japan attacked us at Pearl Harbor. Then we attacked back. We didn't react to Japan's attack by bombing Korea, did we? Or by invading China? Or by attacking Connecticut, who elected the dense and smiling Mr. Lieberman. Elected him over and over again.

Bush and Cheney sold this war first for our self-defense (we were in DANGER from Saddam, and we had to act IN THE NEXT TEN MINUTES OR ELSE). Then when there were no WMD's, the justification changed to we were creating democracy there. Then we were babysitting a civil war (well other people said that, Bush kept saying it wasn't true). Now it's calmer there, but it's hardly safe, and so what is the result of that? Now we're to be there for ever and ever? At billions a week, or is it a billion a minute by now?

I find it appalling and shocking that we are in a war, with men and women dying and being horribly maimed, when it was undertaken under false pretenses. And when as many of us believe, our being there as an occupier makes us less and less safe, and creates more terrorists. It's not a good bargain. You break it, you own it, said ex-Secretary of State Colin Powell, referring to the Pottery Barn Rule. How I wish we had invaded Pottery Barn. Then at least we'd have some nice merchandise, and could use some of it to give as Christmas presents.

And Lieberman just re-brought out that old, biggest lie about the war again, the supposed connection between our Iraq and 9/11. Enough with that lie.

Senator Lieberman is despicable.

Comments

[georgecrupper]

Americans the Stupid have been given a pacifer of beer, entertaiment and a credit card and fed 24 hours of misinformation so what can be done? Nothing? Because a guy like Powell can give out false info because he too wants money. The media gives out false info because they too want money...we are not a nation of laws but a nation of cowards...how can any in the role of leadership sleep at night when they see the brave men and women returning missing limbs. If we want to stop this nonsense start the draft...then watch what happens to Americans the Stupid...they will even forget the pacifer for a moment...

[delicado]

You hit it right on the head, Chris. Turn on the terrorist ploy. Scare Americans, with lies and deceit. But, McCain should know better. Lieberman has always followed Bush or Cheney, so it is no surprise that he reiterates same old, same old, or maybe his memory is failing him, or he thinks our memories are failing us. It is hard to forget the lies and deceit that got us into the Iraq war. But McCain must be desperate to ask Lieberman to back him.

[WildDog]

When does spin become a sin?
When young people die for a lie.
It is the sin of the spinner to spin,
It is the sin of the spun to be spun.

[frostbite]

Joe and John make a good team. They are both war-mongering liars.

Peace.

[NotMyPrez]

This whole administration reads like your DMV Hell play, Chris.

[Rog49Thomas]

Chris, I believe you missed Fightin' Joe's point about our eternal enemy (du jour).

It was Iran who was behind 9/11.

There's conclusive proof that Ahmadinejad met with Saddam and Osama in Prague to plan 9/11.
Fact: Bill O'Reilly or Sean Hannity (I forget which one) saw them.

[avergejoe]

"Senator Lieberman is despicable."

Are you talking of
joe 'i never met an arab i didnt hate' lie-berman

hrc's buddy

[bleek]

I once had to wait several minutes in traffic in 2005 because Joe Lieberman's motorcade was coming by. Through the tinted windows of the limo, Lieberman's huge melon was plainly visible, glowing as if flourescent.

Kucinich said that he didn't know exactly what he saw. Could it actually have been the mother-ship ferrying Lieberman back to Earth from his planning sessions on Garkon5?

Someday, I will publish my Grand Unified Theory of Everything that will include not just an explanation for Lieberman's origins but also an explanation for the totally illogical State of Connecticut. Without giving too much away, Connecticut is intersected by a celestial flux wavelength divider that makes pure and utter BS more valuable than gold within its borders.

Lieberman will not age according to the rigors of time here on earth. He will continue being elected Senator of CN for the next thousand years, or so. His melon will continue to grow and glow the entire time.

[swkidder]

Nice post. I can't even watch video of Lieberman. It's like watching video of George Bush - both of them literally make my skin crawl.

[Ragtimer]

I only have questions now.

• Why are questions always shrugged off and redirected to "their' agenda and not allowed to focus attention to that which would lead to a ending the war or a resolution to do so?

• Why is it the neocon/aipac can continually bring up 911 in context to their retoric, but if questions are asked as to getting to the truth of 911 it is always rebutted and attached to conspiracists?

• Why does the press/media only give time and attention to likes of what Heir Lieberman (did you see that red sweater?) but not to candidates that want to stop the war and bring intellegent resolution forward , like Dodd, Biden, Robertson, or Kucinich?

• Why in hell does any one pay any attention to that traitor. He's defector.

[shep65]

Everyday a new lie is told to the American people by the neo nazis who control this country. The Iraq/9-11 lie is such a blatant disregard for the facts that it is amazing that anyone has the chutzpah to repeat it.
The most discouraging thing is that the main stream media is not calling these people out on the many lies that they have been telling. If it weren't for the Huffington Post and websites like it would anyone be calling a spade a spade?
The fact of the matter is that the Bush Administration and now the politicos that want to follow in his steps are blatanly lying to the American people. Would some mainstream media organization please hold their feet to the fire? Fox News lets them lie out their ass and uses their henchmen, i.e. Bill O'Reily, etc to promote their bullshit. Where are the objective journalists who should be calling these assholes out on this?

[betz55]

Lieberman is in AIPAC's back pocket as is most of Congress. That is why we are not hearing much about John Edwards in the media, he refused to take AIPAC money and they couldn't buy him. Anyway, Lieberman is all about Israel. You know their motto, "Israel first". If you haven't done so already read 'The Israel Lobby" by Mearsheimer and Walt. It is truly despicable the way Israel tries to run our foreign policy in the Middle East via AIPAC, PNAC, ADL, and The Institute for Near East studies, of which Wolf Blitzer use to work for. My hope is that in this decade with the age of internet upon us, AIPAC and Israel's agenda will become so transparent that there will be an all out revolt, the funding to Israel will be cut off, the world will align with the Palestinians and we, and them, can then shout "NEVER AGAIN" at the Israeli's. One can hope.

[coloneblog]

A dose of Joe-mentum worked so well for Lieberman; it reasonable that it will do the same for McCain.

[sarnold49]

This is frustrating and disgusting that American people can still be stupid enough to connect Iraq with 911! It is also frustrating and disgusting that we would impeach a president for having an affair and lying about it but not impeach a president or anyone else for lying and causing the death of innocent people! I am not saying either thing was acceptable but there should be different degrees of acceptability and there is also a difference between a lie about your personal life and a lie to achieve a political goal!

The U.S. needs to wake up because it is going to hell in a handbasket!

[jackjava]

Joe Lieberman should be shown the door out of Democratic Party. Harry Reid clearly is a weak leader and doesn't have teh stones to do it. The Republicans must have something on Reid, other than his shady real estate deals in NV. Both the House and Senate need new leaders immediately, or it will be the Deomcrats who sit at home next Novemeber.

What the hell is going on with Reid and Pelosi?