I think Joe Momentum had a very different month than most of us.

I think he heard the new Iranian leader talk about destroying Israel three weeks ago and for some reason it made him have a different "life experience" than you or I. It may have stuck with him.

I think he has "different fears".

..because as a U.S. Democratic Senator he is about as useful as a kick-stand on a Jackass.....

over the country are quietly mumbling about this new fear?

I'm hardly worried about Iran's teasing us while our hands are tied. I'm not that gullible...

by the Iranians to keep the U.S. involved so that shiites and sunnis would never be able to work it out alone. Fear does that. It causes people to fall for it. Because it is fear. Worked on Joe.

from Bush or the childish Iranians. There is little difference between our leadership and thiers as far as maturity of the rhetoric...

have the total ability to act as an adult. And are in control of all your actions. So don't hate. Keep the discussion on the war. Not one person.

But now that you ask, I am perfectly capable of not wanting to support Lieberman based on his positions that I do not agree with.

off the personal attacks and refocusing on the actual people who have actual control over this war. Instead of attacking someone for who they are inside and slowing down any discussion of the facts on this war.

He can join Sharon's new "moderate" party!

by that statement by the Iranian PM - with him to Israel? That's really great!

...meant nothing to me...

We need to stop playing Global Cop, or if we choose to do so, we have to expect other countries to start sabre-rattling back.

some compassion. And don't expect him to be any less capable of fear than we all are.

He is a fool if he thinks Iranian rhetoric has any more weight that googoogaga Bush's childish rhetoric...

Help me out here, because I am confused in companionship with your other posts on this thread.

don't make him the issue. And get back to attacking the people who know the war is not winable as it is but keep it going - even though they don't have any reason for those fears and should know better than to cop to an iranian ploy.

Don't give Joe the attention that he doesn't deserve. He is one person. He is predictable. He is being himself. Don't attack people for that.

Talk about why he is wrong. Or why he is acting on fear. Stop it with the hate. One man cannot keep a war going. Even if he allows himself to be used because he has no choice (inside).

Back to Bush! He does have the choice. Don't let the WH use this war as a wedge to garner a few more percentage points of "one group of democrats".

Don't fall for it. Don't hate. He isn't a robot. He is who he is. And he is voting that way.

I am so fucking sick of the attacks on Lieberman and other democrats. I am not talking about legitimate criticism about policy decisions, but out-right attacks. I have seen democrats treated better by freepers! I have seen people saying a rethug would be better. Really?! Then those posters are fools because they are unaware of his voting record on anything OTHER than the war!

As for your suggestion about his thoughts about the Iranian threat, it may or may not be true. I can't speak to his frame of mind. However, I can speak to mine. Personally, I think there are many, including many here, who would not shed a fucking tear if Israel was nuked off the map. There are self-proclaimed progressives and liberals that would wring their hands after the fact, but they really wouldn't care. They would find some way to justify the new holocaust as Israel's fault.

As someone who grew up with those images, as someone who has family that NEVER left Europe, as someone who is still called a "kike," as someone who sees his religion blamed for this current administrations misdeeds, as someone who lives in a town with NO synagogue and can't even get Jewish wrapping paper for gifts, as someone who watches so-called liberals and progressives support anti-Semitism and pretend it is simply anti-Israeli comments...I was sickened by the Iranian threat! But, there are many here that will say I am just a "freeper," a "Likudink" (even though they don't know the first damn thing about the Israeli government), or I am a member of Mossad. I watch as Holocaust deniers are defended, as their works are taking hold because more and more of survivors are dying, and I know, that Holocaust denial will become more commonplace and acceptable...it is already by some of the left. However, my fears are dismissed as "hysterical" and "unrealistic," even if I provide proof. I am so afraid I will get to witness a new Jewish Holocaust for myself.

So, I can't speak for the senator, only myself. I can't excuse his 'pro' war stance, but I also know he is more real than most senators.

have not experienced the patterns of his behaviour. But I do support his right to have a frame of mind that is different than mine because he has a different history, experiences and different fears for the future.

I too am sickened by Joe's stance. I hated Saddam and now hate Rummy for doing war on the cheap so as not to bankrupt his plans for modern warfare and aggressive war games. I hate Bush & the whole cabal for lying into war and not taking the offer of open boarders for arms inspectors (which was Saddam just complying after a few years of breaking UN law) to further study - so they they would have the cards and could then demand behaviour on Saddam's part - and relieve the suffering Saddam imposed on his people to get out of the sanctions. Also the refusal of the offer of elections or abandoning the country like Saddam alledgedly offered. And for insisting on a neocon lab experiment instead of a UN occupation and the like.

I am sickened that the oil industry is not national. What else would be an excellent policy than getting the oil wealth into the hands of people who support and vote in elections in Iraq and the like. I'm glad the truth is coming out so that perpetual war will go the way of chiapets. And Joe just up and denied the points and truths the Democrats and obviously the generals and people inside the Pentagon were push towards the forefront of the dabate. So on many levels joe makes me sick too.

I think that in a way neocons heard the words "you break it you own it" and were hearing it as an opportunity rather than a dire warning. Their values are so far from values it makes me cringe (and always has when I see it). And yes, Lieberman has reason to fear anihilation. And that is why he votes the way he does. And I don't see why the DU cannot get used to that and expect it rather than going over the top with the attacks. He always votes the same way. It is reality. And we should accept it. I may think his fear gets the better of him. But I am no expert in the middle east. I also know that there are good reasons for fear sometimes. I've been there and my worst fears panned out again and again but I kept thinking it would be okay. So I know that you learn to not be so rosy colored in perspective if your life ends up one of constant anxiety and lack of safety. So I posed the question to all - "what has his month been like?". Why would his reality be different than ours and he could be voting soberly at the same time as speaking out against our deepest wishes and slammin our desire for peace. I don't know that he hasn't made a deal with the devil - that happens when you are terrified - or that the neocons themselves are not whipping him into a frenzy of no need for political gain. I do know that the Iranians are a pretty scary bunch right now. And I agree with the assesment that the US won for Iran the war they couldn't win over Iraq. And I think staying in Iraq and putting oil into the hands of western corporations will just add fuel to long term instability.

Personally i'd like to hear about Lieberman's feelings on de-nationalizing the oil industry. Does he really think that that will bring stability to a place like Iraq? Or opportunity for beefs and the creation of more terrorists and a longer life for hate of the west.

If we all react to Lieberman in fear and personalize the hate - and loose our adult empathy - we do nothing to advance understanding or to change policy. It is a huge waste of time and may in fact play into Rove's hands. They love the keep people scarred and on edge - look what the neocons did with 9/11! They love wedges on reptilian brain issues. Neocons dole out various fears to divide people. I don't think we should fall for it. But be discerning in who and why and how we attack. So that we don't attack like reptiles do.