Mind your own business

By Creature

Neo-cons shouldn't be allowed to comment on internal Democratic party politics, but they do anyway. Robert Kagan, writing in yesterday's Washington Post, is simply talking out his Lieberman-loving ass. First, the set-up:

If Lieberman loses, it will not even be because he supported the war.

Fine, I'll give Kagan that.

Nor will he lose because he opposes withdrawing troops from Iraq this year.

You know what? I'll give him this point as well. (Hold on, I'm getting to the good stuff.)

Nor, finally, is it because he has been too chummy with President Bush. Lieberman has offered his share of criticism of the administration's handling of the Iraq war and of many other administration policies.

Okay, now you lost me. Obviously, Kagan -- acting in true neo-con form -- is willfully ignoring the truth. Kagan ignores "the kiss." Kagan ignores Sean Hannity squirting his love-juice across Lieberman's can't-we-all-just-get-along face. Kagan ignores what the people who actually live in Connecticut are saying. No, for Kagan, this is why Joe may lose:

No, Lieberman's sin is of a different order. Lieberman stands condemned today because he didn't recant. He didn't say he was wrong. He didn't turn on his former allies and condemn them. He didn't claim to be the victim of a hoax. He didn't try to pretend that he never supported the war in the first place. He didn't claim to be led into support for the war by a group of writers and intellectuals whom he can now denounce. He didn't go through a public show of agonizing and phony soul-baring and apologizing in the hopes of resuscitating his reputation, as have some noted "public intellectuals."

What a load of crap. But wait, it gets better. Close it out, Kagan, while I pick my jaw up off the floor.

The only thing that doesn't pay is honesty. If Joe Lieberman loses, it will not be because he supported the war or even because he still supports it. It will be because he refused to choose one of the many dishonorable paths open to him to salvage his political career.

He is the last honest man, and he may pay the price for it. At least he will be able to sleep at night. And he can take some solace in knowing that history, at least an honest history, will be kinder to him than was his own party.

Maybe, Mr. Kagan, it's because of folks like you, folks from the neo-con side, who continue to lavish their praise on Joe that makes me unable to look at his Bush-kissing, disingenuous face anymore.

I need to take a shower. David Sirota gets a hat tip for pointing out that Kagan is a neo-con. Plus, he has more.

(Cross-posted at State of the Day.)