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Lieberman: Obama's Iraq Trip Only Possible Because of McCain

July 20, 2008 12:03 PM

"Look, the fact is that if Barack Obama's policy on Iraq had been implemented, Barack Obama couldn't go to Iraq today, it wouldn't be safe," Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., told Chris Wallace this morning on "Fox News Sunday."

"Barack Obama, John McCain saw the same difficulty in Iraq," Lieberman argued, "John McCain had the guts to argue against public opinion, to put his whole campaign on the line because, as he says, he'd rather lose an election than lose a war that he thinks is this important to the United States..."

Lieberman continued: "Sen. McCain and I and others want us out of Iraq, sooner rather than later, but want us out in a way that does not compromise all the gains that American and Iraqi forces have made in Iraq ... And frankly, we want to stay there to a victory, because we don't want all those who have served in the American uniform there to have served, or in some cases died, in vain. Remember this, Chris, we wouldn't be having this discussion about how to get out unless the surge, which John McCain courageously fought for, taking on the president of his own party, popular opinion, risking his campaign, and which Sen. Obama opposed, worked. So, that's the good news."

And there's this charge as well: "If Barack Obama's policy in Iraq had been implemented, he couldn't be in Iraq today, is because he was prepared to accept retreat and defeat, and that would mean, today, al Qaeda would be in charge of parts of Iraq, Iranian-backed extremists would be in charge of other parts of Iraq. There'd be civil war and, maybe, even genocide. And the fact is that we are winning in Iraq today. And, you know, you can't choose, as Sen. Obama seems to think, to lose in Iraq so you can win in Afghanistan. The reality is, if we lost in Iraq, which Obama was prepared to do, we -- we would go to Afghanistan as losers."

This is basically the McCain spin on Obama's Iraq trip: picture Iraq if the U.S. had withdrawn its troops.

- jpt

July 20, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (151)

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DEAR READDERS-

GOOD FOR SEN. LIEBERMAN!

ROBERT JONES
A BLUE DOG (REAGAN) DEMOCRAT

Posted by: Robert Jones | Jul 28, 2008 12:06:21 PM

DEAR READERS-

OBAMA'S IDEA COULD CAUS A BIGGER PROBLEM DOWN THE ROAD AGAINST TERRORISM. GOOD FOR SEN. LIEBERMAN!

ROBERT JONES
A BLUE DOG (REAGAN ) DEMOCRAT

Posted by: Robert Jones | Jul 28, 2008 12:03:12 PM

You dared him to go to Iraq and look what happened. The man looks like our next president. Actually he looks like a young king about to claim his throne.Look at that stride. Look at how he looks with those foreign leaders..vibrant and confident. Look at how our troops were exuberant and enthusiatic at seeing him.Obama is the right choice.Period.

Posted by: TV | Jul 22, 2008 12:52:42 PM

Okay Liberman and McCain it's time to go sit down and watch reruns of Matlock and Murder She Wrote.Go play some Bingo or go fishing. You guys are jealous of Obama.He is a rockstar and more.Just like Tiger Woods he is talented and very capable and this threatens the statis quo. At least the senior Bush admits the jealous feeling.

Posted by: TV | Jul 22, 2008 12:42:34 PM

Lieberman is right, if McCain hadn't voted for the war, there would be no reason for Obama to go there. Other things made possible by John McCain: the deaths of 4,125 American troops; $5 / gallon gas; the escape of Bin Laden into Pakistan because we didn't have enough troops in Afghanistan; many other things to depressing to even contemplate. Way to go John McCain!

Posted by: Bob Scofield | Jul 22, 2008 11:37:31 AM

Joe Lieberman scores heavily on the side of committment to his friend.

But Oh, Poor Joe, backing a donkey instead of a Thoroughbreed.

Why don't you just support your friend McCain the same way Walker, Texas Ranger supported ----what's his name? Stand behind and with John McCain, but just keep your mouth shut.

Lack of military experience and serving in the military IS NOT a requirement to being President of the United States of America. If it were, Bill Clinton and many others would have never been elected or even reelected.

These two candidates are as far apart as the north pole from the south:

John McCain graduated near the bottom of his class (can't touch Obama) poor performance (can't touch Obama) crashed his plane more than once (clux), captured in Vietnam and made any statement he was asked to make by his captives (Whiny, frightened boy). McCain's military experience doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

I still don't understand why McCain is trying to become President of the United States of America he is a decrepit old man, with a vile old man's temper.

No wonder G.W Bush is distancing himself and making sure that certain Obama recommendations are put in place to give our next Commander-in-Chief more rock star status.

You just can't touch Obama. When God is for you, no one, no one on earth can be against you.

Unstablity and senility has long set in for John McCain. He doesn't even know Iraq from Afghanistan. Is that why he wanted to take Obama with him to the Middle East, to lose him? ha,ha

John mcCain says Iraq and Pakistan share a common border. For your information Senator McCain, the countries bordering Iraq are: Turkey, Syria, kuwait, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the longest border is with Iran. Get it?

Pathetic, shameful McCain and Joe Lieberman - two old croonies, whining like an old LP record stuck in a groove. Go sit in your rocking chairs and talk about the good old days.

Posted by: exatlantic | Jul 22, 2008 8:52:42 AM

Oh dear, McCain, it is time to give up the repetitive childlike, childish mantra. NOBODY IS LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE!!!!! You are now stealing Hillary's words about on-the-job training. McCain, didn't you see wher it got her?

Right now McCain is trying his best to show up himself as a good Commander-in-Chief, but he just doesn't have what it takes. John McCain is too much blustering, too much same old, same old wave of the hand, brushing off that will not advance his cause.

Why not talk about the 3.0 a.m. phone call. Would you be alert and ready for action if the phone rang at 3.00 a.m in the White House? Ahm - you know, truly, I don't think so! Give it up! Obama is the right man for the job. This is the right time for Obama. He's got what it takes to be Commander-in-Chief and America wants him. Oh, no! AMERICA NEEDS HIM, as does the rest of the world

I have my own conspiracy theory about what is going on right now regarding the apparent shift in the Bush Administration towards Obama's international policy recommendations, but for now, I'd like to say, it is working and that's OK! Is President Bush trying to increase his approval rating on Obama's coat tail before leaving office? Is the Scretary of State using her powerful position? You go girl! John mcCain should realise that the current White Hose Staff from Top to Bottom does not want him to replace Pres. Bush, because it would be another four years of pure chaos for the country.

The world, and apparently, even the White House - can see that Obama is the right President for America at this time in its unfolding history. Perhaps there is a measure of myopia in some pockets of the country - GET OVER IT!

Now Joe Lieberman is spewing Mccain's Rhetoric. SHOP WHINING old boys! McCain also said, ordered, told, begged, suggested even boasted and criticised: that Obama must go to Iraq. You kept on - like a little child - waving the hand and insisting that Obama should go to Iraq. You even wanted him to go with you! Why McCain, did you want some of his star quality to rub off on you? Ok, so now he has gone to Iraq and you and yours just cannot stomach the welcome he got! GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!

John McCain is already history He is an old man, a warrior, a war monger who talks tough, shakes his gun and drops off to sleep. Yet he wants to commit America to 100 years in Iraq. Who is listening and believing and liking what he touts like an old LP record stuck in a groove.

Posted by: exatlantic | Jul 22, 2008 2:03:04 AM

"Has Lieberman looked at what gave Azzam and al quaeda and al zawahiri power in the first place... aggression by the soviets into afghanistan..."

Actually it was US-supplied Stinger missiles. The Afghans were being stuffed by the Hinds until they got that technology. What kept them in power was our walking away and not finishing the mission by rebuilding the country. By your analogy, if we do what Obama says we must in Iraq, in ten years Iraq will be Afghanistan.

I'm not saying the war made sense originally. I'm saying Obama's grasp of military strategies is deeply naive and his grasp of international politics and history is non-existent. You might as well be voting for the guy on The Bachelor.

Posted by: len | Jul 21, 2008 5:21:58 PM

Lie-berman is a joke.

Posted by: jack in hack | Jul 21, 2008 4:01:16 PM

If we had followed Obama's policy we wouldn't be stuck in this nightmare in the first place. LOL. The irony is apparently lost on Lieberman, who's about as humorless as they come.

Posted by: SpaceCat | Jul 21, 2008 2:51:00 PM

I like how Joe explains the facts to us - wasn't Obama's plan not to go to Iraq?

Posted by: Viktor | Jul 21, 2008 12:54:26 PM

Does anyone even listed to Lieberman anymore? They guy is irrelevant and come Jan 09 the Democrats are going to appoint him as Head of the Toilet Cleaning Committee.

Posted by: whcjr46 | Jul 21, 2008 11:23:14 AM

If the U.S. had already withdrawn troops then he wouldn't NEED to go over there, would he?
How can people thought to be so educated and euridite be so oblivious to the obvious?

Posted by: Michael | Jul 21, 2008 11:21:36 AM

Will someone with a loud voice please declare the perfectly obvious at long and dear last? If the Midland Moron and his twin had followed the advice from Obama, we wouldn't be in that catastrophic quagmire in the first place, and anyone might visit without being blown apart. The old man sounds like the idiot at the arcade who brought a bigger hammer for the Whack-a-Mole game and kept it planted over one opening while the moles cavorted at will and the fool attempted to direct all attention to his oversized hammer.

"I'm winning! Why doncha admit I'm winning!"

Posted by: Tremonius | Jul 21, 2008 11:12:21 AM

Good Lord, why doesn't Lieberman spend his time being constructive -- kissing Hagee's butt -- rather than making a fool of himself trying to be substantive.

Posted by: Karen, New York | Jul 21, 2008 11:02:28 AM

a wolf in a sheeps clothing

Posted by: dnels14 | Jul 21, 2008 10:57:14 AM

If it wasn't for Bush, McCain and the other war mongers..there would be no need to go to Iraq..There wouldn't be a war in Iraq. According to Phillip Zelikow,(Bush adviser and 911 commission member)"Iraq war was launched to protect Israel."

Posted by: joe | Jul 21, 2008 10:55:50 AM

Joe has done it again! Please, can you throw him in the other side of the fence. He is not only a disgrace to the democratic party, but also to any avarage educated human beings. He is like a toxic and stinking waste to anyone near to him.

Posted by: junior111 | Jul 21, 2008 10:54:53 AM

Joe Lieberman the Quintessential Sleazy Politician

So Mr. Lieberman makes this rediculous assertion today that if Barack Obama had been president 2 years ago, he would not have been able to visit Iraq today, it would have been too dangerous. Al Qaeda and Iranian extremists (note to current reference to Iran, the new enemy to be deathly afraid of... we better invade them too) would be running the country.

If Barack Obama had been President 8 years ago, he would not have been in Iraq and would not have cost this country so many valuable American lives, a soaring deficit and our moral standing in the world. What a great country America would still have been

Posted by: Michael Veneziano | Jul 21, 2008 10:52:26 AM

Has Lieberman looked at what gave Azzam and al quaeda and al zawahiri power in the first place...

aggression by the soviets into afghanistan...just like we are doing...

it is/was their most successful recruiting tool...

any occupation is what they are fighting against in the first place...so unless we are killing the leaders of their movement this is not worth keeping sunnis and shia apart...

if al qaeda had caused a further war in Iraq as they were doing ...they would have been blamed... as much as America...now it will solely be the American occupation that will be blamed.

Posted by: dl | Jul 21, 2008 10:21:37 AM

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