Joe Lieberman - Patriot

Standing on principle can sometimes be a lonely proposition. This past week, Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman found himself in that very position. Amid the cacophony of criticism coming from his own party (and some from across the aisle) toward the Bush Administration's handling of the Iraq war, Lieberman voiced his unequivocal support for the US effort to bring democracy to that corner of the world.

Lieberman made his remarks in an opinion piece published on the editorial pages of the Wall Street Journal. The column, entitled "Our Troops Must Stay", followed his recent visit (his fourth, in fact, in the last 17 months) to Iraq.

The article contained some good information on progress being made by the Iraqi military, as they continue on their path to self-reliance. Even more stirring were his words on the Iraqis themselves, who are apparently far more optimistic about the future of Iraq (82% believe their lives will be better a year from now) than is the American public. The Iraqis have gone to the polls in massive numbers twice now to vote for their interim national government and their new constitution, and even more are expected to turn out a third time when they vote for their new full-term government on Dec. 15. The Iraqis have shown a courageous determination, despite the very real dangers they face daily, in exercising a right that so many Americans take for granted – the right to vote.

Senator Lieberman was at his most poignant when he characterized the war as being one between 27 million and ten thousand - that being the number of Iraqis wanting to live in freedom versus the number of various terrorists whose “wretched causes will be set back if Iraq becomes free and modern”. As Lieberman said, we are fighting on the side of the 27 million because the outcome of the war is critically important to the security and freedom of America. He makes the point, one that too many of us have forgotten along the way, that it isn’t just the Iraqis who stand to lose by the U.S. withdrawing before they are fully capable of defending themselves, it is the rest of the world, including our own nation that stands to lose.

Withdrawing too early and handing Iraq over to the terrorists would cause not only instability in the region, but would also cause the terrorists, as Lieberman said, to become “emboldened to strike us directly again”. That is a scenario we must absolutely prevent.

There has been much debate about the pre-war intelligence, just as there has been about whether or not going into Iraq was the right decision. Both are legitimate questions in the arena of debate, but one thing that should not be debated is leaving before it is prudent to do so. Regardless of whether or not it was initially the correct decision to go into Iraq should have no bearing on the greater and more relevant issue of securing the region, now that we are there.

Joe Lieberman understands this, and has left politics at the water’s edge – something that too many of his colleagues in Washington have failed to do. There was a time when both parties put aside their differences for the greater good of the country when we were at war. Taking the stand he has taken has certainly not won him any popularity contests with many within his own party, particularly among the far left fringe. Indeed the folks at the liberal activist 527 group MoveOn.org have already intimated that they may back a Democrat challenger to Lieberman in his re-election bid next year in Connecticut.

There are many issues on which I would disagree with Joe Lieberman, but those differences do not diminish the man in my estimation. He reminds me of another great Democrat senator, Hubert H. Humphrey. Humphrey was a liberal of course (although by today’s standards not overly so), and very often was at odds on the Senate floor with Barry Goldwater (the quintessential conservative). Their battles on the issues were legendary, but despite those differences, they were friends.

I recall when Humphrey passed away some years back, that Goldwater made some very kind remarks about his old rival – especially about how much Humphrey loved his country. And then he said, “Hubert was a patriot”. Coming from Barry Goldwater, no compliment could have been greater.

I think that if Goldwater were alive today, he would say the same about Joe Lieberman.

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