Lieberman ripped to shreds in editorial

Ouch. Someone just got whack upside the head...

They fancy themselves grand unifiers, yet they inspire more bitterness than anyone. They have built reputations of bipartisanship, but don't realize how much anger their actions generate. A war people hate will do that.

[...]

At least, though, Shays seems genuinely torn. Our junior senator, on the other hand, spends his time lecturing us on how we should all be nicer to each other — unless, apparently, his job is at stake. This is the man who had this to say last year about his opponent's push to end the war: "It will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again."

Sen. Joe Lieberman set it up as a vote between him and the terrorists. And he had the nerve to host a seminar on "civility" last week in Washington.

"The disease is partisanship," he said. "The lack of civility is one of the symptoms of that disease."

It may be hard to understand for someone who thinks of himself as above all that, but politics is partisanship. People align themselves with different parties because they have different beliefs, and different ideas. Not everyone agrees on the best way to, say, fund education or conduct foreign policy — or prevent terrorism. What kind of a political world are we looking for with no partisanship?

Maybe he wants the kind we had for most of the past six years. With one party running the legislative and executive branches, there was no oversight, no accountability, and now we're stuck in the middle of a war — we can't stay and we can't leave. Maybe more partisanship could have avoided all this.

Lieberman leads the Senate committee on government affairs, but apparently avoiding the "partisan politics of polarization," as he calls it, is a good excuse not to do his job. Campaigning last year, he said he would make sure the Bush administration turned over records on internal White House deliberations — likely to embarrass the president — from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. After the election, he changed his mind.

"We don't want to play 'gotcha' anymore," Lieberman said in January when word came out he was backing off his pre-election promise. "We want to get the aid and assistance to the people of the region who need it," as though the two were mutually exclusive.

[...]

The leader of the House version of Lieberman's committee is Rep. Henry Waxman of California. Armed with subpoena power, Waxman has already delved into the Pentagon propaganda operation, which fictionalized the stories of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman; he's investigating the parallel e-mail system that may have allowed White House political staff to avoid laws on preserving communications; and he wants answers from the top about the lies leading up to the Iraq invasion. There is no chance of seeing similar investigations in the Senate committee — Lieberman knows which voters got him back into office last year, and they weren't Democrats. But he can take credit for one achievement. He succeeded in getting Republicans and Democrats to alternate seats with one another around the dais when they meet in committee, rather than splitting up on one side or the other. All the better for civility.

If the self-appointed arbiter of all things bipartisan is going to turn his back on doing the job he was elected to do, he can at least make sure everyone is nice to each other.

Amen.

Lamont returns Kerry's favor, targets Lieberman's buddy in Maine

I'm happy to say that I voted for him!

Last fall, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., came to Connecticut to help Democratic Senate candidate Ned Lamont in his bid to unseat veteran Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Lamont is now returning the favor. He and the Massachusetts Democrat are teaming up to target Republican senators they say are blocking efforts to end the Iraq war.

[...]

"Last year, Connecticut Democrats heard my call for an end to the war in Iraq and nominated me to be their U.S. Senate candidate," Lamont wrote. "The pundits derided our campaign, but John Kerry had my back."

The Greenwich businessman joined Kerry’s effort to defeat four GOP senators up for re-election in 2008. The pair is targeting Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Norm Coleman of Minnesota.

[...]

In an e-mail last week, Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, criticized "Roadblock Republicans" for opposing a bill passed by the Democratic-run Senate to set a deadline for bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq. Lamont followed up with his own e-mail.

"The activist energy of the 2006 campaign moved the entire national debate on Iraq," Lamont wrote. "It’s time for another burst of activist energy to move the issue forward in GOP territory, and I’m proud to join John Kerry in calling on you to apply some pressure to the Republican caucus."

With the "kiss of death" endorsement from Holy Joe Lieberman, and the effort to give Collins her pink slip from Lamont and Kerry, Joe Lieberman's favorite senator from Maine is going to have a very long and difficult campaign on her hands.

State Senator David Cappiello does "Beyond the Headlines"

(cross post from HatCityBLOG)


Danbury State Senator Republican David Cappiello recently announced that he's challenging newly elected Congressman Chris Murphy for the 5th District Congressional seat.

The Danbury native and loyal supporter of former Congresswoman Nancy "Queen of shaking the special-interest money tree" Johnson recently made an appearance on WTIC's "Beyond the Headlines" to explain why he's throwing his hat into the race just a few months after Murphy was officially sworn into office.

Now, although Cappiello has about as much chance in beating Murphy as me cutting off my hair, his logic in throwing his hat in the Congressional race makes common sense when you see what he's going up against.

Just three months into his first two-year term, Chris Murphy has had 11 fundraising events that have helped net him $419,700 for a 2008 re-election campaign.

[...]

The first campaign finance reports of 2007, which cover the Jan. 1-March 31 period, showed Murphy, D-5th District, had $440,048 on hand; Courtney, D-2nd District, had $286,784; and Shays, R-4th District, banked $185,397. These sums indicate what they've raised this year, anything left from their 2006 campaigns, minus what they've spent on re-election efforts.

[...]

Democratic leaders have made it clear they want a lot of cash and they want it now. In a Jan. 23 memo to "interested parties," Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told such vulnerable members as Murphy and Courtney, both of whom won close races last year, to have $650,000 to $1 million in the bank by June 30.

Given that the 5th district was a battleground district in 2006, expect the Democrats to fight like hell to keep the seat in 2008. Cappiello knows this and therefore, his only choice is to announce his intentions now and basically cross his fingers.

"Stand Up For Health Care" video report

I posted a round-up report on yesterday's "Stand up for Change" rally for universal health care over at My Left Nutmeg, which I encourage everyone to read.

TParty pointed to this video footage from the rally, which I wanted to share with everyone.

Saturday afternoon with Sly and the Family Stone

Here's a little funk while I write my term paper.

Enjoy.

Light posting

Sorry for the light posting here.

I'm dealing with a term paper as well as studying for my final, which is happening this Tuesday so my time is somewhat limited.

After Tuesday, the weight will be off my shoulders and I'll be back up to full speed here and on the other blogs (My Left Nutemg/HatCityBLOG).

...just give me my degree already!

Gov. Rowland-Rell's campaign mamager throws Lisa Moody under the bus

Lisa Moody had something to do with this...OH, I'M SO SHOCKED!

Gov. M. Jodi Rell's 2006 campaign manager identified gubernatorial chief of staff M. Lisa Moody on Wednesday as the person responsible for giving the campaign an official state list of arts and tourism leaders, who then were solicited for campaign contributions up to $2,500.

"The campaign received this list through Lisa Moody. The lists were provided on a computer disc. ... I believe all of the individuals on the list were mailed a letter," Kevin M. Deneen, the lawyer from Windsor who managed Rell's successful election effort last year, wrote in a letter faxed Wednesday to two Democratic state legislative leaders who had asked questions about the campaign solicitations.

One of those leaders immediately blasted Moody for continuing to conduct campaign activities in the governor's office, just as she had before Rell's December 2005 fundraiser at the Marco Polo Restaurant in East Hartford. Moody's actions then led to a scandal, investigations and legislative hearings for much of last year.

"I'm not surprised by this revelation. Lisa Moody apparently thinks she's above the governor's office ethics policies," said state Rep. Christopher Caruso, D-Bridgeport, co-chairman of the legislature's government administration and elections committee. "This is the second time Lisa Moody has done it, politicking in the governor's office. ... The governor has spoken volumes about appropriate ethics. ... Now it's time for her to act."

Once again, Gov Rowland-Rell shows that the governor of integrity went at great lengths to shake the moneytree for every single penny towards her re-campaign of 2006. At what point will Rep. Christopher Caruso get fed up with the excuses and the governor and Lisa Moody and call a hearing to look into the entire matter?

Deneen's letter to Caruso and Rep. Diana Urban, D-North Stonington, ended his months of silence on the issue. The letter provided the first unequivocal confirmation that the governor's Capitol office last summer gave the Rell campaign lists from state files that included scores of names of the directors of arts and tourism organizations. Such groups depend largely or partly on the state to fund their operations.

Until Wednesday, Rell's office had acknowledged publicly only that Moody and other office staff members "could have" provided the lists to the campaign committee, but they "do not specifically remember" doing so.

The Rell campaign in September used those lists, which Rell's office staff obtained in late August from the state's Commission on Culture and Tourism, to send solicitation letters to the arts and tourism leaders. In the letters, Rell asked for contributions, reminding them that on Aug. 16 she had announced a new $10 million "Cultural Treasures" program to support arts groups.

Critics have viewed the episode as a pressure tactic on state-dependent arts and tourism leaders. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating whether state time and resources were improperly used to gather the information from state files and provide it to the campaign.

Enough is enough Rep. Caruso, pull the trigger, call the hearing, and get to the bottom of this matter. Gov. Rell and Lisa Moody have a great deal of explaining to do and it's obvious that they'll pull any delaying tactic to avoid telling the truth.

"We got ya Beau"

Watch it Spazeboy, Speaker Amann is going to crush you...


Way to go Beau!

A little birdie also whispered in my ear that our own Spazeboy, who was accepted to Trinity College yesterday, is being honored today in the CT Legislature as an outstanding scholar from Tunxis Community College. So if you’re watching CT-N today, you should be able to catch Spazeboy’s cute mug sometime as he waves to the crowd while getting some richly deserved accolades! Congratulations, Spazeboy! We’re very proud of you.

Happy Mission Accomplished Day

"In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed."

—President Bush, May 1 2003

Five more U.S. troops were killed in Iraq over the weekend, bringing the multinational coalition toll for April to at least 117 yesterday - the worst month for casualties in more than two years.

—New York Daily News, May 1 2007

"Four years ago today, President Bush stood before a banner declaring 'Mission Accomplished.' Like many of his claims about the justification for going to war in Iraq, that turned out not to be the case. Indeed, his failure to have a plan to win the peace once Saddam Hussein was deposed is why our men and women in uniform are still putting their lives on the line for a failed policy. President Bush seems intent on exacerbating that failure by vetoing a bill that would change course in Iraq and end U.S. military involvement in Iraq's civil war.

The time has come for clarity and a new mission: To end the war in Iraq, to bring our troops home, and to begin restoring America's standing in the world. This is a mission America must accomplish, and the President should take a strong first step by rethinking his decision to veto the bill.

If the President does veto the bill, the Congress should send the Feingold-Reid legislation to his desk immediately."

—Chris Dodd, May 1 2007

"Four years after President Bush landed on an aircraft carrier and declared ‘Mission Accomplished,’ we are still in a war where more than one hundred American service members have died in just the month of April. We grieve for them today and urge the President to avoid making another tragic mistake by signing the bill that will end this war and bring our troops home."

"We are now one signature away from ending this war. The majority of the American people and their Congress now agree that there is no military solution to the conflict in Iraq, and that the best way to pressure the warring factions to reach a political settlement that can end this war is still a phased withdrawal of American forces with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 30th, 2008. It is time to end this war so we can bring our troops home and redeploy our forces to help fight the broader struggle against terrorism and other threats of this new century."

—Barack Obama, May 1 2007

"Today is the fourth anniversary of what I consider to be one of the most shameful episodes in American history.

"Never before in our history has a President said 'mission accomplished' when the mission had barely begun. Never before has a President landed on the deck of an aircraft carrier to proclaim the end of major combat operations to a war that rages on four years later. Never before has a President pulled a political stunt when so many American lives were and remain in harm's way.

"The President took us to a preemptive war of his choosing based on his assessment of faulty evidence and trumped up facts. He ignored the warnings of senior military advisors and he retaliated against those who tried to stop him. And once he got the authority to put inspectors back into Iraq, he ignored their findings. It is something that will stand as one of the darkest blots on leadership we've ever had in our nation's history.

"America is ready for a President who will respect our Armed Forces by properly planning for the missions we ask our troops to undertake. America is ready to end this war and when I am President, that’s exactly what I'll do."

—Hillary Clinton, May 1 2007

"Four years ago, President Bush flew onto the deck of the U.S.S. Lincoln under a 'Mission Accomplished' banner to declare victory in Iraq, but all the photo ops in the world can't hide the truth - his disastrous mismanagement of the war has left our troops in harm's way and made Iraq a breeding ground for terrorists.

—John Edwards, May 1 2007

From Democrats Senate.gov:

CONNECTICUT

* Number of Active Duty Service-Members in Iraq: 1,113
* Number of Reserve Forces in Iraq: 855
* Number of Service-Members Killed in Iraq: 24
* Number of Service-Members Wounded in Iraq: 205
* Cost of War to the People of Connecticut: $9.2 billion

(Source: CTS Deployment File, 1/31/07; Department of Defense Personnel Statistics; nationalpriorities.org)

Stories from the Homefront...

A Connecticut soldier killed just hours into his first tour in Iraq.
"Tom Epperson doesn't know what to think. He can barely contain himself. He stands up and sits down, then stands up again. He picks things up just to put them down elsewhere -- his son's picture, some military emblems, an article that talks about his boy dying in a faraway city impossible to imagine. His 18-year-old son, Pvt. Matt Zeimer, had just arrived in Iraq, just a couple of hours at his post in Ramadi, before he was killed with another soldier. He and Spec. Alan E. McPeek from Arizona had rushed to the roof of their outpost to repel an insurgent attack." (Hartford Courant, 4/6/07)

Parents struggle to cope with every time the phone rings.
"But there's a special poignancy, even a touching bravery, about Leslie and Laurie's friendship now. Leslie's younger son, Mark Caron, and her daughter-in-law, Dulce Ayala, serve with the U.S. Air Force, both as senior airmen. Laurie's son, Liam Dwyer, is a U.S. Marine sergeant. Together, the two mothers have endured seven deployments to Iraq and nearby support bases in the Middle East. Liam is still assigned, and was recently injured, in the most dangerous sector of all, the Anbar province in the Sunni triangle west of Baghdad. The Iraq war -- which rages into its fifth year Tuesday -- remains a very public source of divisiveness, endlessly parsed and argued in the media. But the drama of parents back home with sons and daughters deployed overseas is largely a hidden, anonymous story. The jumpiness every time the phone rings, the late-night sleeplessness, the endless anxiety wrought by daily newscasts announcing still more casualties are a welter of emotions known only to the minority of families who have deployed sons or daughters in America's all-volunteer military services." (Hartford Courant, 3/18/07)

Connecticut reservists are not told of their GI Bill benefits.
"Veterans' advocate Jack Mordente says he has won a precedent-setting admission from military officials that thousands of veterans who returned from Iraq and Afghanistan, but then left the armed forces, are in fact eligible for GI Bill benefits. For his next step, Mordente, director of veterans' affairs for Southern Connecticut State University, plans to work with state Attorney Gene r a l Richard Blumenthal to force the military to notify all the affected veterans nationwide about this benefit...Blumenthal, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps, also told Mordente, 'The failure to provide these benefits to reservists -- apparently due to a Department of Defense policy of deliberately withholding information and incorrectly failing to certify individuals who are eligible -- is shocking and inexcusable.'" (New Haven Register, 3/15/07)