Obama takes Lieberman behind the woodshed

(I read about this on Jack and Jill politics. Of course, the next thing I did was look for some video on YouTube.)

Yesterday, Joe Lieberman publicly challenged Obama’s judgement regarding foreign policy (h/t Daily Kos):

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), a McCain supporter, challenged Sen. Barack Obama’s judgment and experience on Israel and national security issues, following the Illinois senator’s speech this morning at the influential pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, conference in Washington. Lieberman said there was “a disconnect between some of the things [Obama] said today” and some of his past statements.

“To be specific, I was troubled earlier in the campaign season when Sen. Obama compared Iran and other rogue and terrorist states to the Soviet Union, and minimized the threat represented by Iran. I think that’s wrong. Today he said he thought Iran represented a grave threat. I think the statement he made today was right.”

Lieberman brought up Obama’s opposition to the Kyl-Lieberman amendment that labeled the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, pointing out it was supported by 29 Democratic senators. The amendment passed 76-22.

“That measure was supported by three-fourths of the Senate, including Sens. Reid, Schumer, Durbin and Clinton. Sen. Obama opposed it, saying it was saber-rattling referring to the threat of military force. If you look at the Kyl-Lieberman amendment as it was passed, it has none of that in it regarding military action. I still hope he will say that vote was a mistake and he will support that resolution.”

umm….opposing the Kyl-Lieberman admendment was a GOOD thing. The last thing the Senate needs to be doing is giving the administration an excuse to attack Iran.

But back to the point. Lieberman supports McCain and has all but declared himself a Republican. He certainly has no problem echoing GOP talking points. He’s been getting away with it for a year and a half, but it looks like that’s about to change.

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They had a 3-minute chat in a corner. Witnesses say Obama’s body language was “intimidating”. One hopes Obama was laying down the law and telling Lieberman where he’ll be next year if he doesn’t begin to play nice.

It’s about damned time someone took Lieberman to task for pretending to caucus with the Democrats while advancing the GOP’s failed Middle East policies. Let’s hope we elect enough Democratic senators this year so we can kick this poser to the curb.

Howard Dean: No more lobbyist or PAC money for the DNC

via Huffington Post:

“The DNC and the Obama Campaign are unified and working together to elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States. Our presumptive nominee has pledged not to take donations from Washington lobbyists and from today going forward the DNC makes that pledge as well,” said Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. “Senator Obama has promised to change the way things are done in Washington and this step is a sure sign of his commitment. The American people’s priorities will set the agenda in an Obama Administration, not the special interests.”

It’s about time. I’m glad Howard Dean is supporting Obama in this. This is what real change looks like, and it’s refreshing. Maybe now our government will work for its citizens instead of corporate interests.

Latest attack ad from the GOP

I first saw this on Racialicious:

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Can’t say she wasn’t warned. Many pundits pointed out that Hillary’s scorched-earth strategy was enabling the right-wing smear machine, but she wouldn’t listen.

Let’s hope this election year puts an end to this kind of negative campaigning. Let’s defeat McCain on the issues, without stooping to character assassination.

Hillary to end her campaign on Friday

via Yahoo News:

“Senator Clinton will be hosting an event in Washington on Friday to thank her supporters and express her support for Senator Obama and party unity,” her communications director Howard Wolfson said.

Also in the speech, Clinton will urge once-warring Democrats to focus on the general election and defeating Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

The money quote is the following, though:

On the telephone call with impatient House supporters, Clinton was urged to draw a close to the contentious campaign, or at least express support for Obama. Her decision to acquiesce caught many in the campaign by surprise and left the campaign scrambling to finalize the logistics and specifics behind her campaign departure.

Obama had nothing to do with it. According to Keith Olbermann on Countdown, it was Clinton supporters like Charlie Rangel and party elders like Nancy Pelosi (both of whom were mentioned specifically by Olbermann) who put the pressure on Hillary to end her campaign and support Obama.

Good. Now we can get to the business of beating McCain. I suggest debates, as many as we can stand 🙂

We still have a strong woman to support

Now that Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee, Clinton supporters are understandably disappointed, but the complaints of some are just annoying.

I agree that Hillary was the victim of many undeserved sexist attacks. I would much prefer focusing on the issues rather than stupid crap like pantsuits and cleavage. I’m sure that there are some people who didn’t vote for her simply because of her gender, just as some didn’t vote for Obama because of his race. I don’t think that’s why she lost, but it IS an undeniable fact, and a serious problem with our national political discourse.

Now that Hillary is (presumably) out of the race, though, where do you think that misogyny will be focused next?

Yes, that’s right. Michelle Obama.

We will, hopefully, have another strong, intelligent, independent woman in the White House come January. Michelle Obama is as much a role model for young American women as any other successful female public figure, including Hillary Clinton. She is successful in her own right, having come from Chicago’s South Side and going on to attend Princeton and Harvard Law School. From BarackObama.com:

For three years after law school, Michelle worked as an associate in the area of marketing and intellectual property at Chicago law firm Sidley and Austin, where she met Barack Obama. She left the corporate law world in 1991 to pursue a career in public service, serving as an assistant to the mayor and then as the assistant commissioner of planning and development for the City of Chicago.

In 1993, she became the founding executive director of Public Allies – Chicago, a leadership training program that received AmeriCorps National Service funding and helped young adults develop skills for future careers in the public sector.

Michelle began her involvement with the University of Chicago in 1996. As associate dean of student services, she developed the University’s first community service program. Michelle also served as executive director of community and external affairs until 2005, when she was appointed vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She also managed the business diversity program.

Michelle has fostered the University of Chicago’s relationship with the surrounding community and developed the diversity program, making them both integral parts of the Medical Center’s mission.

What an impressive list of accomplishments. If it’s really about empowering women, then Hillary’s feminist supporters should get behind Michelle, right? Right?

The Presumptive Nominee

I never thought we’d actually reach this point, but here we are. I’m amazed, excited, and hopeful for the future. I’ve never worked for a candidate in my life, but I’ll be volunteering for this one.

The debates should be wondrous to behold. I hope there are many. Tired talking points, propaganda and straw men won’t stand a chance. I recall Obama being asked a “what if the republicans say ____?” kind of question during one of the primary debates, and he said he was “looking forward to having that conversation”. I am, too. We need some rational dialoge in this country, and it’s going to be difficult to fight the the media talking heads. The debates, though, that is where he’ll shine.

It’s still a long road to go, but I’m with you, Obama.

OBAMA ’08 !!!!

A splash of color at the Democratic National Convention

The DNCC announced the list of bloggers credentialed for the general blogger pool in Denver. The following blogs of color made the cut:

• African American Political Pundit
• Culture Kitchen
• Dallas South Blog
• Georgia Politics Unfiltered
• Jack and Jill Politics
• Oliver Willis
• Pam’s House Blend
• RaceWire
• What about our daughters

My congratulations to all of you! I know which blogs I’ll be reading during the convention. 🙂