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Monday, September 11, 2006

Joe skips Iraq votes, says his vote didn't matter

Wow, this is stunning, simply stunning.

Joe Lieberman skipped out on two very key Iraq votes last week that would have held the President accountable for his numerous mistakes and his mismanagement of this war.

According to an AP article, when questioned about his absence, Lieberman spokesperson Tammy Sun (a.k.a. Marion v3.0) states that George Bush's favorite Democrat skipped didn't show up to vote because they were "typical party-line procedural votes."

Major votes on this war (which is the top issue to a majority of Americans) don't matter? Lets take a look at those typical party-line votes.

The first vote Lieberman skipped was on legislation that would have forced the Bush administration to develop a firm strategy to end the burgeoning civil war in Iraq, and then report that strategy to Congress. That's what's called "demanding accountability" - the very thing that Lieberman attacked many of his Senate colleagues for trying to do when he claimed that asking any questions about the war or having Congress fulfill its constitutional responsibilities of oversight supposedly "undermine[s] the President's credibility at our nation's peril." Yet, despite the fact that Lieberman was in Washington, D.C. that day and voted for the bill immediately preceding this key Iraq vote, he skipped this vote. Apparently to Lieberman, demanding accountability from the Bush administration on issues of war and peace is just a "procedural" matter that he feels is A.O.K. to skip out on.

The second vote Lieberman skipped was on legislation to prevent the Bush administration from trying to tamper with media in Iraq. The bill followed embarassing revelations of tampering, which have - not surprisingly - helped enflame anti-American passions in the Mideast. But again - apparently, Lieberman thinks that stopping such behavior so as to help calm the situation in Iraq is just a "procedural" matter that he can miss.

Lieberman claims that he's holding the President accountable and trying his best to bring a end to this war, but again, he's doing nothing more than handing the voters of Connecticut another series of Republican talkingpoints and spin.

Talk is cheap and all Lieberman is giving us is lip service. He's the President's biggest cheerleader when it comes to this war and he has proven time and time again that he will not hold this President accountable for anything.