Democratic Senator Touts Iraq Success

[nbcrusader]

We Do Have A Plan'

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, just back from Iraq, wants President Bush to give the American people details about the progress being made in that country - from military triumphs to the proliferation of cellphones and satellite dishes.

Bush is scheduled to give the nation a progress report on Iraq Wednesday, his first such address since Congress erupted two weeks ago in bitter debate over the war.

Supporters and critics alike have been urging the president to outline his strategy for some time.

Critics sense a mission adrift. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd, D-Conn., visited Iraq last month, and came away saying "we need a major course correction" in American policy - notably "we need to let Iraqis know we're not there forever."

But Lieberman, D-Conn., who spent Wednesday and Thursday in Iraq, saw strong evidence that a workable American plan is in place.

"We do have a strategy," he said. "We do have a plan. I saw a strategy that's being implemented."

 

[melon]

Your post is slightly misleading. The missing context is that Lieberman has traditionally been one of the most hawkish of Democrats. The article does reflect that, though.

I guess the moderates of both parties tend to blur the lines of ideology.

Melon

 

[Irvine511]

while i don't agree with Lieberman, i do respect him tremendously.

Connecticut has always had a tradition -- republican governers in jail aside -- of electing members of Congress who truly represent their constitutents and aren't beholden to the rabid ideology that tends to infect some Democrats from major urban areas and especially Republicans from the heartland. great examples are Lieberman, as well as Rep. Shays and Rep. Johnson (a Republican i have voted for).

once again, the Northeast proves itself to be the thinking man's region.

 

[nbcrusader]

Your post is slightly misleading.

I know the title does not have the sensationalistic flair of deep or Irvine, but I try.

 

[melon]

I know the title does not have the sensationalistic flair of deep or Irvine, but I try.

I don't expect sensationalism (and really don't respond well to it anymore). I actually get a little sick everytime I create a local news promotion when I think what I'm creating is more interesting than the actual story.

Melon

 

[Irvine511]

I know the title does not have the sensationalistic flair of deep or Irvine, but I try.

aw, you did well.

 

[verte76]

I'm another liberal who frequently disagrees with Lieberman but really respects him. He's intelligent and principled, something I can't say about every politician in Washington. He doesn't just follow the party line, he has a mind of his own. If we do indeed have a strategy in Iraq, that's great for the Iraqi people, so I'm glad he thinks progress is being made.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I have much respect for Senator Lieberman, I think he is quite honest and has high integrity. But like that part of the article about being loyal to a flawed cause...

He has been there many times, but others who also have seem to have a completely different opinion. I don't know, it's just tragic most of all obviously for all the lives that have been lost and will be lost.

 

[Judah]

Now there's evidence of police-sanctioned death squads.

Is this one of the strategies that Lieberman saw being implemented?

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...9,0,3364549,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
Killings Linked to Shiite Squads in Iraqi Police Force
With loyalties to banned paramilitary groups, the fighters have kidnapped, tortured and slain Sunnis, officials and witnesses say.

By Solomon Moore, Times Staff Writer


BAGHDAD — Shiite Muslim militia members have infiltrated Iraq's police force and are carrying out sectarian killings under the color of law, according to documents and scores of interviews.

The abuses raise the specter of organized retaliation to attacks by Sunni-led insurgents that have killed thousands of Shiites, who endured decades of subjugation under Saddam Hussein.

And they undermine the U.S. effort to stabilize the nation, and train and equip Iraq's security forces — the Bush administration's key prerequisites for the eventual withdrawal of American troops.

 

[U2DMfan]

I know the title does not have the sensationalistic flair of deep or Irvine, but I try.

You had a plan for your post NBC, and I saw you implement it.

Therefore I am touting your success, brother.

 

[VertigoGal]

I like Lieberman a lot and I think he has the right idea about what we need to do to go forward in Iraq, in a lot of ways as do many Republicans *and* Democrats. Considering Bush's approval rating and the current popularity of the war, it seems it's almost easiest for politicians to cry for immediate troop withdrawal and pretend they didn't also vote for the war. As much as I don't like the war, it's honestly a little refreshing to see people like Lieberman or McCain or whoever admitting mistakes were made but also trying to keep it in perspective as far as progress that has been made and the good things that can come out of this if we do it right.