Holy Joe Speaks

Joe Lieberman is smooth. I read his latest statement on behalf of the "stay the course but escalate" policy in Iraq and it sounds so noble. How can I abandon tens of thousands of Iraqis seeking a democratic future? Can I disappoint that dedicated colonel and his men? Would I abandon Iraq to the terrorists and extremists supported by al-Qaeda and Iran? Only if I don't send more troops to Iraq. It all sounds so convincing and essential.

But then I think about how many times I've heard this before and how the situation simply gets worse, for Iraqis and Americans. Bob Johnson's DailyKos diary, "Pre-debunking the next Iraqi readiness lie", compares fact with reality over the past year to demonstrate that depending on Iraqi forces is an ever receeding goal. Lieberman's arguments and ideas are not at all new: Same Stuff, Different Day. Lieberman has always supported the war and this same basic policy, even as it consistently failed to live up to his promises.

Once again, I come to my perennial question about Lieberman, BushCheney, Richard Perle, the AEI and all the other architects of the Iraq war: WHY ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH DOES ANYONE LISTEN TO THESE GUYS?! They were right about one thing--the US military took Iraq pretty handily. But no one doubted that would happen. Since then, howver, this crew has been consistently, disastrously and catastrophically wrong. So what is it that gives the same old policy any credibility at all?

A lot of smooth words and noble phrases mixed with a few heartfelt images is about all the neo-conservative warriors have left. That and several tens of thousands more troops. Keeping on, pushing harder is one way to escape the reality of a failed policy that has caused death and destruction on a mass scale. Joe Lieberman delivers those smooth words and phrases so well. As always, BushCheney's loyal pitchman a model of neo-conservative bipartisanship. No wonder Republicans paid so much to keep his Senate seat for him.

Unfortunately for America and Iraq, BushCheney and his cabal still hold institutional power and aren't inclined to listen to anyone other than their own. Dick Cheney said as much after the election. If you have any doubt about it, please note that NONE of the new strategies for Iraq involve the one thing most Americans and Iraqis want most: US troops out of Iraq. Good old Joe is doing his part to make sure that does not happen any time soon.

[update] BarbinMD takes Joe's statement apart piece by piece over at DailyKos