Sen. Lieberman: “I wish Sen. Obama would just say that the surge is working.”
Sen. Lieberman, Independent Democrat: “THE GOOD NEWS IS, BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF THE SURGE, THE WAR IN IRAQ APPEARS TO BE HEADING TOWARDS A VERY GOOD OUTCOME. Indeed, the situation on the ground there today is nothing short of miraculous, when we consider what it looked like a year ago.”
Sen. Lieberman: “At that time, you may recall, Congress was locked in bitter, partisan trench warfare over Iraq. On the one side were those like Senator Obama WHO ARGUED THAT THE WAR WAS LOST, that the horrific human rights abuses we were seeing in Iraq were the result of ancient, amplacable hatreds — A CIVIL WAR THAT WE COULD NOT RATIONALLY HOPE TO STOP, AND THAT WE SHOULD THEREFORE SIMPLY PICK UP AN LEAVE WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONSEQUENCES.”
Sen. Lieberman: “On the other side were those like Senator McCain who argued that — in an interdependent world — we had a moral responsiblity not to abandon the Iraqi people, that the violence we were seeing was being perpetrated by identifiable enemies of Iraqis and ours against identifiable human victims, that the bloodshed could be stopped, and the war could be won.”
Sen. Lieberman: “FORTUNATELY FOR ALL OF US, IT IS NOW CLEAR: SENATOR MCCAIN AND OTHERS WHO SHARED HIS VIEW WERE RIGHT, AND SENATOR OBAMA AND THOSE WHO AGREED WITH HIM WERE WRONG.”
Sen. Lieberman: “I WISH SENATOR OBAMA WOULD JUST SAY THAT THE SURGE IS WORKING, rather than changing his positions on how and when we should exit Iraq WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THESE CHANGES IN POSITION ARE UNDERSTANDABLY BASED ON FACTS ON THE GROUND.”
Sen. Lieberman: “A President’s credibility is based on his or her courage, convictions, acceptance of reality, and consistency. These are critical elements of not only a President’s leadership but also national leadership, AND A PRESIDENT WHO SQUANDERS THOSE DOES SO AT OUR NATION’S PERIL.”
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Sen. Lieberman: “We can trust John McCain to put the national interest before political self-interest — not only when it is easy, but when it is hard.”