LIEBERMAN THWARTS DEMOCRATS IN SETTING TIMETABLE ON IRAQ

One of the reasons that the Democrats are hog-tied as to ending the War in Iraq is Joe Lieberman. Today, Jeanine Zacharia reports for Bloomberg that Lieberman says he will not support the compromise measure introduced by Sen. Levin and other senate democrats calling for a pull-out from Iraq beginning on a specified date, although without specifying a date certain for completion of the withdrawal.

Writes Zacharia:

"Lieberman, a Connecticut independent and ardent supporter of a continued troop presence in Iraq, said he won't support Levin's plan. ``The answer is a respectful no,'' Lieberman, 65, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television's ``Political Capital with Al Hunt'' scheduled to air this weekend.



"Lieberman's opposition makes it less likely that Levin's measure, co-sponsored with Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed, could muster the 60 Senate votes needed to defeat a threatened Republican filibuster or the 67 required to override a presidential veto."

This is more than enough reason to rue Lieberman's re-election last year and his defeat of the hapless Ned Lamont. Lieberman votes with George Bush on every measure that enables and supports the War in Iraq. Not only that, Lieberman would also like to attack Iran. He has sponsored a senate measure saying that Iran is responsible for killing U.S. troops, although there has never been any verifiable evidence produced showing that this is true.

Jeanine Zacharia reports:

"Lieberman repeated his view that the U.S. should consider taking military action against bases in Iran, where the Bush administration says Iraqi extremists are being trained before being sent back to Iraq to carry out attacks.


"``We've said to the Iranians, `you want to have a better relationship, start by stopping this proxy war you're running against us and so far there's been no evidence of that,''' Lieberman said.


"``If they don't listen to and respond to these demands of ours, then we have to consider taking military action against those bases where they are training the Iraqi extremists to go back and kill American soldiers,'' Lieberman said, adding that he isn't calling for any ``wide-scale invasion of Iran.''


"Iran denies the U.S. accusation that it is training Iraqi extremists."

It is a senator like Lieberman who can do a lot of damage to the United States and to peace in the world.