In response to Joe Lieberman’s assertions about all the terrific progress the U.S. is making in Iraq, Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) told CNN yesterday, “I don’t know where Sen. Lieberman gets his opinions about how well we’re doing.”
In the same afternoon, on the same network, CNN’s Michael Ware was even more blunt. (thanks to Timmy for the tip)
COOPER: Michael, I want to play something that Senator Lieberman said about the war in Iraq. Let’s — let’s listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: The war is not lost in Iraq. In fact, now American Iraqi security forces are winning. The enemy is on the run in Iraq. But, here in — in Congress, in Washington, we seem to be, or some — some members seem to be on the run, chased, I fear, by public opinion polls.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COOPER: Is the enemy on the run in Iraq, Michael?
WARE: No, certainly not. And I think we need to be aware that it’s enemies. I mean, America doesn’t face just one opponent in this country, but a whole multitude, many of whom are becoming stronger, the longer the U.S. occupation here, or presence here, in Iraq continues. So, unfortunately, I’m afraid that Senator Lieberman has taken an excursion into fantasy. (emphasis added)
For the record, Ware happens to agree with Lieberman about a withdrawal policy; he just happens to also think that Lieberman is clueless when it comes to his claims about “progress.”
Of course, Lieberman also had a few noteworthy comments about Iran.
Also from CNN, also from yesterday:
LIEBERMAN: [T]he American military has given us evidence that the Iranians are training Iraqi terrorists, up to 60 at a time, at three bases outside of Teheran. And we know where they are. And we’ve presented to come back into Iraq.
And those terrorists have killed hundreds — and I stress that — hundreds of American soldiers. We simply cannot sit back and allow Iran to do that.
So my point is we’ve got to send them a clear message that they’ve got to stop it. And if they don’t, they have to believe that we will take military action against those training bases. That’s what I’m talking about.
BLITZER: Are you talking about bombing those training bases?
LIEBERMAN: Well, whatever it takes to — to knock them out. I mean I think with the Iranians — look, the Europeans negotiated with the Iranians for more than two years to stop their nuclear program to no effect. They just kept going forward.
I think the Iranian — this fanatical Iranian governmental leadership, which exhorts the Iranian people to shout “Death To America!,” which talks about wiping out Israel, they are not going to do what we simply ask them courteously to do unless they know that there’s a credible threat, a force behind that. And that’s what I’m saying.
Incidentally, Wolf, I’m very glad that I’m going to be — to announce to you that I’m joining with some of my colleagues — Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and others — and we’re going to be introducing a Sense of the Senate resolution on this defense authorization bill that will state the facts that the American military has made public about Iranian actions which have led to the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers. And basically I’m hoping this will give the Senate an opportunity to make a strong, unified statement to the Iranians — stop it. That’s — that’s the message.
BLITZER: And you’re saying, actually, these are acts of war on the part of the Iranians against the United States?
LIEBERMAN: Well, look it, when — when you support an effort, through your proxies, carried out by a section of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which reports to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, and you’re killing hundreds of Americans, to me, that’s a hostile act. That’s an act of war.
As Yglesias said the other day, “I like that he’s managing to compress what should be a years-long transition from moderate Democrat to psychotic rightwinger into just a few months.”