Lieberman is out of touch with reality

Can Joe Lieberman be any more shameless?

He stays in Iraq for two days and claims that there is real progress being made in that country. I wonder if the two Congressmen who were injured in Baghdad feel the same way as 'say it ain't so" Joe.

From The Hartford Courant

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, fresh from a two-day visit to Iraq over the Thanksgiving holiday, said today he was hopeful U.S. forces could begin a "significant" withdrawal by the end of next year or in 2007.

"The country is now in reach of going from Saddam Hussein to self-government and, I'd add, self-protection," Lieberman said in a conference call with reporters from his Washington home. "That would be a remarkable transformation ... I saw real progress there."

Lieberman, one of the most hawkish Democrats in the Senate, said the effectiveness of Iraqi security forces and the ability of a new Iraqi government to rule after the Dec. 15 elections are critical factors in determining when U.S. troops could come home. But if all goes well, he forsees a pullout beginning a year from now.

"If Iraqi forces continue to gain the confidence the American military sees there now ... We will be able to draw down our forces," he said.

Lieberman has visited Iraq four times in 17 months. He said there are signs life is returning to normal, including a profusion of cell phones and satellite TV dishes on rooftops.

"About two-thirds of the country is in really pretty good shape," he said, noting most attacks are in the so-called "Sunni Triangle" region. "Overall, I came back encouraged."

Lieberman said he hopes President Bush's speech Tuesday night will give a clearer picture to the American public of the progress being made in the war.

"It's time for some details," said Lieberman. "He's gotta describe some of the progress that I saw there. It's gotta be realistic."

Progress? Here's your progress report (remember, this is more than two years after our President claimed "Mission Accomplished"):

The Saddam Hussein trial is simply a joke.

There is less than 35,000 trained Iraqis ready to fight (if they don't runaway at the first insurgent attack) and the ones we trained are now being accused of kidnapping and killing Sunnis.

The present Iraqi government is facing allegations (which looks to be true) of running torture facilities.

The Iraqi oil is STILL not up to pre-war levels (which means that the oil is not funding the war).

The insurgents are killing scores of people every day (and less than 15 percent of those people for foreign).

The Bush administration is facing charges that it planned to bomb an Arab TV network last year.

etc...etc...etc.

People like Joe Lieberman really get under my skin. Maybe if he had a family member over in Iraq, he might have a different opinion on the so-called progress we're making.