Has Joe Lieberman Followed The Ancient Jewish Process of Repentance?

In an exchange this weekend with Tom Brokaw, Joe Lieberman said he regretted some of what he'd said during the campaign.

Brokaw said, "I hear the word regret, but not the word apologize."

Lieberman responded that he's "going forward," adding, "You can take from the word 'regret' what you will. I wish I had not said some of the things I've said. But again, we all do it."

Putting aside the particulars of what Lieberman said during the campaign, I'm pretty sure that "we all do it" is not part of the Jewish tradition for achieving spiritual purity.

Rabbi Shraga Simmons on Aish.com summarizes the Jewish process of Teshuva, or repentance:

Step 1 - Regret. Realize the extent of the damage and feel sincere regret.

Step 2 - Cessation. Immediately stop the harmful action.

Step 3 - Confession. Articulate the mistake and ask for forgiveness.

Step 4 - Resolution

In the rest of the essay, he notes that the process is sometimes hobbled by particular excuses that we devise, some of which might be of particular interest to Lieberman

 

Comments

[argyle]

03:44 PM on 11/24/2008

Joe will pay for what he said when he runs for office again. Any move to penalize Lieberman for helping his friend and colleague would be morally wrong and politically unwise. Did he do and say just about everything he could to help his friend, even at the expense of his reputation? Yes he did. Was he starkly and obviously incorrect in his judgment? Yes he was. He's might have already fallen on the sword and he knows it, but he's on the long decline with four years left on his term. Might as well have him on our side regretful, than on the other angry and with nothing to lose politically.

[myskylark]

02:25 PM on 11/24/2008

Joe Liedberman is, and always has been, a self-serving, sanctimonious hypocrite. He lied so easily to the Democrats of Connecticut when he promised them that he would push for resolution of the Iraq war. If a recall vote were possible in Connecticut today Joe Lieberman would be the ex-Senator by nightfall.

I understand the tactical reasons for the Democrats catering to Lieberman, but it still galls me that they aren't able to throw him out of lthe caucus. He's a disgrace.