There are few Americans in politics today who I see as having more integrity than Senator Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). His willingness to put the needs of the nation above the needs of his party nearly cost him everything in 2006, but it didn't -- and clearly demonstrates why he would be worthy of a chapter in Profiles in Courage if John F. Kennedy were writing it today rather than a half century ago.

Connecticut Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman shared his own thoughts on Bush's plan. "We need an increase in troops there now," he asserted before an audience of military experts and academics. "It must be substantial, and it must be sustained."

Lieberman was sworn in last week as the chamber's one and only "independent Democrat," with the emphasis on "independent." On most issues, including big domestic priorities, he expects to vote as he has for the past 18 years, as a loyal Democrat. But on Iraq, Lieberman is more in sync with Bush than are many Republicans. He is a passionate defender of the war as a death struggle against Islamic terrorism.

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One Lieberman trait that particularly rankles Democrats is his abiding loyalty to Bush. A few days after the Wall Street Journal published the senator's op-ed piece, Lieberman lectured at a foreign policy conference. "It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be commander in chief for three more critical years," he said, "and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril."

The senator was a bit more measured Friday, but his point was clear.

"The president of the United States gets this," Lieberman said. "I think he sees the moment that we are at in the larger war on terrorism and the significance of how we conclude the war in Iraq, how devastating it would be to the Iraqis, to the Middle East, to America if we simply withdrew. He needs our support."

I want to disagree with the author of this article. Liberman is not being loyal to George W. Bush. Rather, he is being loyal to the very American notion that politics ends at the water's edge, and that during time of war we need to fight to victory. Indeed, that is the only appropriate "exit strategy" for the United State in Iraq -- "Win, then bring the troops home."

I'm not a fan of "fusion tickets". I could never vote for John McCain because of his betrayal of the First Amendment. But with that single exception, I will state for the record that I could be quite enthusiastic about a 2008 GOP ticket that showed the true meaning of bipartisanship by including Joe Lieberman in the second slot.

Because after all -- patriotism matters more than party labels.

Posted by: Greg at 08:37 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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