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Joe the Volcano
Jose Luis Magana / AP Photo
America’s most mercurial, least responsible senator is up to his old tricks, threatening to shut down the Senate to block the release of the torture photos. Eric Alterman on why Obama should steer clear of Lieberman’s blackmail tactics.
What to do about those awful military abuse photos none of us have seen is a truly vexing problem. Obama is quite right when he says their publication could cause a spike in anti-Americanism in the Arab world and possibly even endanger the lives of American troops. On the other hand, America needs nothing so much as to put the poisonous legacy of lies and dissimulations used by the Bush administration’s Iraq misadventure behind us, and this will be impossible to do as long as the Obama administration continues to take the position that it must participate in its continued coverup.
Into this conundrum like a bull in a proverbial china shop stride Republican Lindsey Graham and Who Knows What, Joe Lieberman. Together these two have promised to shut down all business in the Senate unless the Pentagon is allowed to block the release of incriminating Bush-era photos. Lieberman calls the potential release “sheer voyeurism” and “disclosure without a purpose.”
Not only is Lieberman exploiting this most difficult and potentially dangerous of problems, he is insisting that his demands take precedence over absolutely everything else in Congress, including—I kid you not—funding for the troops.
But there’s this thing called the law. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued the federal government for the photos’ release under the Freedom of Information Act and won. The Obama administration is appealing the decision of two federal courts that sided with the ACLU. To hell with the courts, say the dynamic duo of Lieberman and Graham, who have decided to take the remarkable step, as Salon’s Glenn Greenwald explains, of writing a new bill that “literally has no purpose other than to allow the government to suppress any ‘photograph taken between September 11, 2001, and January 22, 2009 relating, to the treatment of individuals engaged, captured, or detained after September 11, 2001, by the Armed Forces of the United States in operations outside of the United States.’”
Democrats are not going along quietly with their president on this one. Tired of being treated as doormats during the Bush-Cheney era, they are demanding hearings on the photos bill before they can be lawfully suppressed.
The politics of war brought the Democrats a victory on this issue. The Obama administration needs billions of dollars more to ramp up U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan, but Republicans are refusing to go along because the war-funding bill—as it stands now—includes a new credit line for the International Monetary Fund. So to get the bill passed at all, the doves needed a victory, and they got this one. That’s when Joe and Lindsey went ballistic and threatened to take everybody’s marbles if they didn’t get their way.
It’s a mess any way you look at it, which certainly explains why Graham is making so much noise about it. Any time the Republicans can wrap themselves around the troops—even torturing, abusive troops—they’re happy. (The Web site Save the GOP is just thrilled.)
And though he caucuses with the Democrats and professes to be an independent, Lieberman is picking up right where he left off as the loyal solider, first of Bush-Cheney and then of the McCain campaign. Remember, during the Bad Old Days, he used his position as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to put the kibosh on Senate investigations of both Halliburton and Blackwater by explaining, “We don’t like investigating…” (At the time, Lieberman’s committee employed just two investigators; his counterpart in the House, Henry Waxman, has employed more than 40.)
Lieberman is strongly against waterboarding, except when he is just as strongly in favor of it. He sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he appears to believe his job is to prevent any actual oversight from taking place. And not only is he exploiting this most difficult and potentially dangerous of problems, he is insisting that his demands take precedence over absolutely everything else in Congress, including—I kid you not—funding for the troops.
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Genni2002
Geez Lieberman, take my ball and go home? Provide some ideas, solutions instead of whining knee-jerk reaction crapola.
"...could cause a spike in anti-Americanism in the Arab world and possibly even endanger the lives of American troops." See, am not really buying the argument above. It seems like we don't really have to do anything to raise their ire.. Rational people would be able to consider the dim bulbs that were in charge at the time and conclude that we are attempting to fix a wrong caused by them and probably him. The extreme militants aren't going to care anyway so seems like status quo before or after the photos are revealed.
Robadude32
Genni you are a fool. Do you have any connection or relatives that are in the military that are serving or may serve in the Middle East. Didn't you see how they were so inflamed after cartoons about Islam? Open your eyes. These pictures should not be published.
Genni2002
Not arguing the fool part..
However, if we do not like what we have heard about our democratically elected government's handling of this situation and would like to now see for ourselves the methods used (afterall someone thought to take pictures) why should we not be able to see them? If we do nothing and let it go on, business as usual with no consequences, this kind of thing may happen again.
GM2009
If you are so worried about 'the troops', then get out and protest to bring them home. Hegemony is not 'defence'.
Potomac-Will
This self-serving hatchet job strikes me as the rarefied rant of a journalist unable to cultivate a leak of the pictures.
Somewhere deep in the bowels of the beauracy, there are people who want voters to see what is being done in the name of the republic and would leak the pictures-- as would others wanting war crimes charges brought against the Bush-Cheney Administration.
There is a Deep Throat somewhere in the mix. Your problem is a lack sources, a lack of shoe leather. Quit whinning and start digging.
Bulldoglover100
Truth hurts dosent it? LOL Hatchet Job? Not hardly. NO ONE should be above the law and if the courts ruled that the pictures be released? They should be released. It's this same ignoring of the law that got us in this position to begin with!
Potomac-Will
@Bulldoglover100: Lower court rulings ain't *the* law until all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. The Obama Administration is appealing the rulings favoring ACLU in the dispute over release of the pictures and would have to be mad to release them in the midst of war without taking the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.
Besides, you missed my point. All copies of the pictures could not possibly be under the government's control, and an enterprising reporter doubtless could dig them up. This is one Bush-Cheney mess the new administration must treat as a Tar Baby.
Let's hope a couple of reporters and another "Deep Throat" comes out of the wood work soon if public disclosure is essential for the victory of good over evil.
Juniusrant
False, fleeting, perjured Lieberman. A great backer of the illegal Iraqi war - a true Neocon acting more in the interests of Israel than those of the U. S.
What is he still doing in the U. S. Senate? He should have been swept away with the Reuplican expulsion. Or I hope he shortly will be.
Robadude32
Yeah and Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi should be allowed to stay in the senate because they do so many great things for the United States.
geezer
For what its worth, Pelosi and Frank are not in the Senate.
kent1944
joes a mosaad agent.
Ozone69
Releasing the photos would embolden our terrorist enemies and endanger our troops. Even President Obama sees that. I'm not sure why the Left insists on making these photos public.
Carole65
Agree with you. I think the lefties want them released so that the government might have grounds to prosecute the previous administrations. Once you start down that road, then we can waste decades prosecuting succeeding administrations for anything and everything. The winners would be the lawyers.
squiggy
I think the left has in mind letting us know just how bad we are as a culture and then while we are all in somber self reflection they will remake our culture in their image, lead and mandated by the head of their culture, Obama. If they level the playing field we will all be poor and no one will be better, this equality thing is a bug to drag everyone down to a lower level than themselves and the people they champion! Lord, we can't give up with our exceptionalism or we are lost for sure!
Carole65
So, squiggy, would you call this a "wag the dog" moment for this Congress? If we get deeply mired in this abuse issue, we won't notice our sinking into a third world status? Clever, indeed..........
thill3453
yeah, you can start prosecuting previous administrations for committing war crimes. The law was broken, that's why there needs to be investigations and prosecutions, it doesn't matter if they were Democrats or Republicans
Robadude32
Because they don't care about American soldiers who are going to die becuase of said photos.
Uberjeff
And the NeoCons didn't care about the American soldiers who would die in the Iraq war when they lied us into it. The right needs to stop wrapping themselves in the flag and the dead bodies of our soldiers to defend everything they do and start to face facts.
Having there be a shadowy conspiracy rich environment where these photos are discussed and never seen will inevitably lead to conclusions that are far worse and far more dangerous than the truth.
GM2009
But their presence in-country and the existing record of atrocity won't be harmful to their health?
Right....
JFKDem
"Releasing photos would embolden our terrorists and endanger our troops." And what about Guantanamo? Knowing that this place still exists and the torture that went on, they just shrug that off???? Seems like a double standard from the "Righties", and good ole politics as usual.
Bulldoglover100
The Left? Not hardly. SOME on the left perhaps BUT the rule of LAW should rule the day and if the courts say they must be released according to the LAW then they should be regardless of politics.
Bush & Cheney IGNORED the law and look where THAT got us! RIGHT HERE!
This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Uberjeff
The first step to healing our relationships is honesty and the rebuilding of trust.
The ACLU is an uncompromising organisation dedicated to civil liberties and protecting the laws that prevent those liberties from being infringed upon. They follow no other ideology, they are not results oriented and the don't care who they're working for. They stand for equal protection under the law in all regards, even if it's the right of Neo-Nazis to hold peaceful demonstrations in a town with a primarily Jewish population.
RussianHatGuy
The desire to have the photo's released has nothing to do with either the left or right. In my view, this issue illuminates two different views held by the public.
One group of people in this country are willing to allow their government, military, and elected leaders to do ANYTHING to protect their "illusion" of freedom in this country. This is nothing new in the history of the United States. From the genocide of native peoples in this country by means of superior weapons technology and biological warfare (it's a common fact that the British gave Native Americans blankets contaminated with small pox because white settlers figured out after a while that the indigenous people had no immunity to the disease. Same thing with alcohol) up through the 20th Century use of the atomic bomb and chemical weapons in Viet Nam and Korea.
A certain percentage of the population is perfectly willing to allow the government to do whatever they want so that they can sit in front of the TV watching NASCAR and hurling racial slurs at the TV when they pass by and NBA game on ABC. I like to refer to this percentage of the population as "bitches". They are more comfortable being told what to do, what to think, how to dress, what to eat, what to drive, and how to "consume" as much as possible.
A smaller percentage of people in the country want the photo's to be released because they hold to the notion that we are only truly free if all the laws of the land apply to all the people and that the rule of law supersedes even Presidents, Vice Presidents, No Bid government contracts, Private "Security" firms, Oil Companies, Car Companies, Banks, etc. We understand that the concept of truth is can be very ugly. At this point, no one can deny that our troops tortured Iraqi and suspected terrorists. Additionally, enough information has leaked which shows a Top Down systematic approach regarding this decision to torture. It is also TRUE that the use of torture goes against many of the International War Crimes law that WE wrote after having our own troops tortured in various 20th Century conflicts. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in the notion of Justice, and we also believe that hiding crimes of Elected Officials in the name of public interest is cowardly and UN AMERICAN.
Joe Lieberman is an ass clown with no credibility, creativity, insight, or courage.
hockeydog
Well stated, RussianHatGuy!
shortcourse
What a great country...even the commies get to speak out.
GM2009
That's all you got? Nice try. Commies...LOL
Godless commies. Ooooooh.
Hide from the godless commie gay atheist baby-killing socialist America-haters.
That about right, tea-bagger?
tarryh
Thanks, Connecticut. We really appreciate your giving us this wack job. He is an attention seeker. Just full of himself. And of course that means America pays. Please dump this guy next time. He represents the absolute worst in politics.
Ritarita
Connecticut?
I thought Lieberman was
The Senator from Israel.
camfield
My feelings exactly!
oliverckerr
Ritarita knot a Gaza stripper
Ritarita
Sorry Oliver
Can't read posts
When they're that long.
oliverckerr
Dearest Gaza stripper
Ultimate "S" white cotton.
Long # 1. You can due wit.
Uberjeff
I'm no fan of Sen. Droopy Dog of Connecticut but let's check the antisemitism at the door Ritarita.
Ritarita
Uberjeff-
Lieberman is not a sacred cow.
You're being a little extreme.
GM2009
Isn't Connecticut a suburb of Tel Aviv?
squiggy
Joe Lieberman is a man who votes his conscious and his party excluded him because he doesn't tow their line! So much for a party of open ideas!
hockeydog
Right, squig, Lieberman and Roland Burris are both men of conscience. LOL! How about men of opportunity?
Robadude32
And don't forget Chris Dodd - talk about opportunity.
oliverckerr
They are in a fierce competition for which is lower. They are both weasels. Leiberman has sharper teeth. (Where you been Hockeydoggie?)
RussianHatGuy
squiggy - I don't think I've ever called you out here, but you are truly one ignorant son of a bitch. You're like the attention seeking kid in class that simply makes asinine to get a rise out of people.
What's your problem? You can't be this stupid. Did you go to a Catholic School? That's my best guess.
RedFive
Wow, RussianHatGuy, you are as hateful as you are ignorant.
Progressive2
Squiggy your party wants him ? why don't they take him?
Hawnzz
Squiggy,
Come now... you know better then that. Lieberman was just another Specter. But we should all keep our expectations low... that way we might not be disappointed so often.
GM2009
Ha!
'Joe Lieberman is a man who votes his conscious...'
Right........
Johnny-Boy
I don't know about that Squiggy, maybe you're right, or maybe he votes with whatever he thinks will benefit him the most personally.
This man seems to examine all sides, then he asks himself, how can I benefit the most, then he casts his vote.
He strikes me as a spineless jelly-fish who will ride the top of that fence until the voters of CT have decided they've had enough.
Betsy1040
Thank god for Joe Lieberman. One of only a few men in politics with any integrity.
Spare all the sanctimonious blather of some who are so busy patting themselves on the back on their self rightous bigotry.
RussianHatGuy
Betsy, you think this man has "integrity"?
Please don't reproduce.
oliverckerr
Pa-rooskie guy very funny!
GM2009
"One of only a few men in politics with any integrity."
Your cognitive dissonance knows no bounds.
Banjo1
Alterman was chosen to present the JournoList line on Joe. Watch for the meme to gather momentum in the MSM as the days go by.
garryboyle
You sound paranoid. They make pills for that.
GM2009
A teabag on each eye is a good natural renedy
AlwaysOptimistic
The people of CT need to get this guy out of Washington!
Carole65
Yeah, God forbid there should be another moderate in Congress. Be careful with your wish - a Republican may take his spot..........
dans9190
I'd rather dance with the devil I know (a Republican or true independent) than the devil who just bedevils me.
Bulldoglover100
Sure with all the 21 percent of the voters they have left.......
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n--Y--jdavxcSlim45
Joe Lieberman is all about...Joe Lieberman and Israel. This clown was McCain's sidekick during the election, who quickly scurried back into the good graces of the Democratic party so he could keep his cushy committee assignment. I say he gets a better challenger in the next election and loses.
Don't "diss" Connecticut. They ousted "moderate" Chris Shays.
Thank you.
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