I -(THE) MAN

Imus smacks down Holy Joe Lierberman, whom Imus no doubt would call a "weasel" and a "stooge" (he is both) on Imus' radio show today:


Imus: It would occur to me Senator Lieberman. Particularly if you were somebody who thought this war was such a wonderful idea as you did. And continue to support this idiotic exercise and you sit on some of these committees. That you would have a special responsibility to know what the hell is happening to these kids. It’s not enough to say you didn’t know or didn’t ask the right questions. I mean that’s why we elected you.

Lieberman: We all have responsibilities and I take it very personally because I have supported the war and I continue to believe we have to do everything we can to have it end successfully. I have a special responsibility and we should all be doing mea culpas. Battlefield medicine, I’ve been too battlefield hospitals when I’ve been over in Iraq, Walter Reed in the main building unbelievable. Unbelievable heroism by soldiers who have lost limbs and are just devoted to coming back as close to normalcy as they can. But the other stuff, just crazy and unacceptable and I think you’re going to see a change now.

IMUS: "How do we get this fixed?"

LIEBERMAN: "Well, I think the first thing is to hold people accountable. And, you know, General Weightman going is a good first step. The Armed Services Committee…"

IMUS: "Well, it's an absurd first step. He didn't have anything to do with this. He's been in charge — that's a big scapegoat deal and you know that."

LIEBERMAN: "Your questions about General Kiley are very good questions, and I'm going to ask him. Because this, after all, is the guy that was in charge for a couple years."

IMUS: "Well, he's a lying skunk. He ought to be forced to resign today, Senator."

LIEBERMAN: "Of course, I don't have that exact authority."(LAUGHTER)
"But I will tell you that — I'm on the Armed Services Committee. The Armed Services Committee oversees the medical hospitals. And a group of us on the committee are going out there this afternoon. And I am going to ask some of the tough questions that you and a lot ofothers…"

IMUS: "See if they'll let you, Senator Joe Lieberman, walk around without being escorted by four or five of these generals who've known about this for years."

LIEBERMAN: "Yes."

IMUS: "I mean, did you read Dana Priest and Anne Hull story in The Washington Post yesterday, that General Kiley's been up there testifying before your committee and lying to you, Senator…"
(CROSSTALK)
IMUS: "… lying to you and these other people. He's lying to you."

LIEBERMAN: "A lot of that was housekeeping. I agree. Look, this is the guy that was on top of the institution. It is not — it's a good sized hospital, but it's not a city. And this wasa building that was an important part of that. So, look, he should have known. And I believe as this goes on, he's going to be held accountable. But I want to figure out what we can do next on this. Part of this, Don, was that the whole response never lived up to the increasing demand on the Army medical system or the military medical system after Iraq."

IMUS: "Well, that's not a good excuse."
****************************************************************************
I respect Lieberman and admire his lone-voice-in-the-wilderness-tude. One need not be an apologist (and indeed cannot be one) for the George-of-the-Bungle administration's mistakes, though, to lay claim to the title of "taking terror seriously." So stop sucking up, Joe. It's not helping us defeat these people.