Yesterday in this space I addressed the uphill battle Sen. Joe Lieberman (D.-Conn.) faces in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. One of his biggest problems in the intra-party skirmish is the fact that he is not shrill and vindictive. In his attempt to win his party's core Leftists, he has still remembered to take a stance that is not so liberal that it offends the political sensitivities of a large segment of the population.
Instead of offering the typical plethora of liberal promises and rhetoric, Lieberman is attempting to cover the middle and to sound moderate. That is why he is dangerous.
The reason for pointing out Lieberman's statements that distinguish him from the rest of the Democratic pack is not to promote his candidacy - remember, no matter what he says, he's still a liberal. Instead, it is to remind conservatives that he has the possibility of causing problems for the GOP. If liberal Democrats ever pause long enough from their Bush animus to listen to what their candidates are actually saying and to consider who stands the best chance of actually giving President Bush a run for his money, they might realize the same thing.
Most importantly, the White House needs these types of reminders that Lieberman, the liberal in centrist's clothing, is, in some respects, sounding as conservative as this Republican Administration has at times.
Here's another list of Lieberman quotes, these from a National Press Club Luncheon that happened on August 4, 2003, demonstrating why, unless the Democrats have a sudden revelation about their rhetoric, he will have difficulty winning the nomination.
"Yet, some in my party, fueled by understandable frustration, are grasping at failed solutions that will not meet our 21st century needs. . . . Our passion for change . . . cannot be rooted in the discredited example of our party at its worst: pessimistic, weak and stale."
"If George Bush and his bankrupt ideology are the problem, believe me, old Democratic policies like higher taxes and weakness on defense are not the solution."
"Some Democrats . . . still prefer the old big-government solutions to our problems, but my friends, with record deficits, a stalled economy, and social security in danger, we can't afford that. It won't work. The old way is wrong for America and wrong for the Democratic Party."
"Some [Democrats] respond to the health insurance crisis with a 'break the bank,' $2-trillion-plus program. . . ."
"Some [Democrats] would raise the walls of protectionism again. But we've got a record trade deficit, the highest of any nation in history. Our manufacturers are hemorrhaging jobs. We need more markets abroad today, not fewer. We need to build bridges, not barriers. That is right for the Democratic Party and it is right for America."
"Some Democrats have said no to any tax cuts and would even raise taxes on the middle class. But middle-class families have truly borne the brunt of George Bush's failed economic leadership. So we've got to help them, not burden them with even more taxes."
"Some Democrats are silent about the marketing of violent or sexual entertainment to our children, but we should be allies with America's parents in the struggle to protect our children."
"Some [Democrats] said no to overthrowing Saddam Hussein or they were ambivalent about it, either before or after the war. But we must not shrink from the use of force when our security or our values are at stake."
". . . the answer to [President Bush's] outdated, extremist ideology is not to be found in outdated extremes of our own. That path will not solve the challenges of our time, and it could well send us Democrats back to the political wilderness for a long time."
"Let me simply say that a candidate who was opposed to the war against Saddam, who has called for the repeal of all of the Bush tax cuts - which would result in an increase in taxes on the middle class - I believe will not offer the kind of leadership America needs to meet the challenges that we face today."
