Harry Reid Still Providing Cover for Joe Lieberman

[marmar]

from AlterNet's PEEK:



Harry Reid Still Providing Cover for Joe Lieberman

Posted by Jane Hamsher, Firedoglake at 3:35 PM on May 6, 2008.

In a recent interview, the Senate Majority Leader white-washes Joe Lieberman's voting record.



Maybe it's just that I don't want to understand. I want to like Harry Reid, I want to think he's a public servant first and foremost, but when he runs around saying "Joe Lieberman is with us on everything but the war," I have to ask -- who's this "we," kimosabe?

Glenn Greenwald has the rundown:

Bill to ban the CIA from using waterboarding:


* Democrats -- 45-1


* Republicans - 5-46


* Lieberman- NAY


Cloture vote on bill to restore habeas corpus (which Lieberman voted to abolish in 2006):


* Democrats - 50-0


* Republicans - 5-42


* Lieberman - NAY


Vote to strip retroactive amnesty for telecoms out of the FISA bill (h/t Matt Browner-Hamlin):


* Democrats -- 31-16


* Republicans - 0-48


* Lieberman - NAY


Vote to specify that FISA is the "exclusive means" by which the President can spy on telephone and email communications:


* Democrats -- 49-1


* Republicans - 9-40


* Lieberman - NAY


Confirmation of Michael Mukasey as Attorney General:


* Democrats -- 6-40


* Republicans - 47-0


* Lieberman - YEA


Cloture vote to proceed to consideration of No-Confidence Resolution for Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General:


* Democrats -- 47-0


* Republicans - 6-37


* Lieberman - NAY

And let's not forget one of the biggest Lieberman betrayals of all: as part of the Gang of 14, he put Alito on the bench. I understand that there were bubble-headed thinkers like NARAL who just didn't understand that Joe's "yea" vote on cloture was the only one that mattered, a thus sent emails to their members telling them to "thank" him for his "nay" vote on the floor. Harry Reid is Mr. Senate Procedure however, he's rather well versed on the subject and doesn't have that excuse, so I can only conclude that he has noticed Joe running around stumping for John McCain and simply doesn't care. How exactly that is "with us" escapes me.

Didn't Bluto wind up in the Senate?


http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/84600/

[JerseygirlCT]

1. I don't know why he's doing that. Would an open

acknowledgment by Lieberman that he's switched parties result in a change of power in the Senate?

That's the only possible reason. As you say, there's no chance in hell that Lieberman would be voting as a Dem, anyway.

[Rick Myers]

2. Harry was a dolt on The Daily Show last night

He was about half-concious...

[blm]

3. Reid sits with the Clinton-Lieberman wing of the party - the closed government Democrats.

I remember well that he refused to sign the letter of Inquiry for the Downing Street Memos.

[madrchsod]

4. harry is going to be replaced-

dick durbin will be obama`s go to guy