Ah...Holy Joe Lieberman. As reliable as the proverbial broken clock, and just as correct. On FOXNews Sunday, Joe Lieberman played coy on whether he would pull a Zell Miller and appear at the Republican National Convention.
Download 
Download (h/t Dan @ PoliticsTV)
WALLACE: If you’re asked, will you?
LIEBERMAN: If John asks me, and he thinks I can help him, because I believe this is no ordinary time, no ordinary election, John McCain is no ordinary candidate. I want to help him. I’m not going to go to attack Barack Obama. I’m going to go to explain why I as an Independent Democrat am supporting John McCain, hoping that I can convince other Independents and Democrats to join me in choosing the man who is clearly more ready to be the President America needs today.
Okay, whatever, Joe. I hear words coming out of your mouth, but what do they mean? Independent Democrat? No ordinary election? More ready to be President? That America needs today? Meaningless platitudes, Lie-berman. But none so meaningless as that statement "I'm not going to attack Barack Obama" because it takes nothing for you to start spouting off those RNC-crafted talking points to attack Obama.
LIEBERMAN: If Barack Obama's policy in Iraq had been implemented, he couldn't be able to be in Iraq today. It's because he was prepared to accept "retreat and defeat" and that would mean today, al Qaeda would be in charge of parts of Iraq, Iranian-backed extremists would be in charge of other parts of Iraq, there'd be civil war and maybe even genocide. And the fact is, we're winning in Iraq today. And you know, you can't choose as Sen. Obama seems to think, to lose in Iraq so you can win in Afghanistan. The reality is if we lost in Iraq-which Obama was prepared to do-we would go to Afghanistan as losers and instead, al Qaeda has its tail tucked between its legs as it's exiting Iraq to go to try to [crosstalk-unintelligible] into Afghanistan.
What color is the sky in your world, Joe? Because I'm pretty sure you're talking from some parallel reality. If Barack Obama's initial policy in Iraq (opposing invasion) would have been implemented, we wouldn't have gone into Iraq at all. His current policy of a measured withdrawal is the one favored by the Iraqi government. So are you saying that listening to the democratic government we propped up helped establish is "retreat and defeat"? And I don't know how to break this to you, Joe, but if we hadn't gone into Iraq, there'd be no opportunity for al Qaeda to establish any foothold in Iraq, much less control a section of it. And the Iranian-backed sector? They're called the Shi'a. They're the ones in charge now that we got rid of the more secular Sunni government of Saddam Hussein, you freakin' idiot. Not to mention there IS a civil war and with more than a million Iraqis dead and 3 million refugees, I'd say there's a genocide going on as well.
But this is what Joe Lieberman thinks is "winning" in Iraq and sending al Qaeda running with "its tail between its legs." Riiigggghtt.
Don't miss where Evan Bayh rightfully shoots down these BizarroWorld talking points with a little injection of reality and both Lieberman and Wallace race to interrrupt and shut him down. Can't let those Fox viewers be informed.
Transcripts below the fold:
Clip 1:
WALLACE: Real quickly, are you going to speak at the Republican Convention?
LIEBERMAN: Uh, I don't know yet.
WALLACE: If you're asked, will you?
LIEBERMAN: If John asks me, and he thinks I can help him, because I believe this is no ordinary time, no ordinary election, John McCain is no ordinary candidate. I want to help him. I'm not going to go to attack Barack Obama. I'm going to go to explain why I as an Independent Democrat am supporting John McCain, hoping that I can convince other Independents and Democrats to join me in choosing the man who is clearly more ready to be the President America needs today.
WALLACE: Even if that means the Senate Democrats would kick you out of their caucus?
LIEBERMAN: Well, I'm following the model of John McCain. I'm going to do what I think is right for the country and not worry about the politics and John McCain is definitely right for the country as our next President.
Clip 2:
LIEBERMAN: If Barack Obama's policy in Iraq had been implemented, he couldn't be able to be in Iraq today. It's because he was prepared to accept "retreat and defeat" and that would mean today, al Qaeda would be in charge of parts of Iraq, Iranian-backed extremists would be in charge of other parts of Iraq, there'd be civil war and maybe even genocide. And the fact is, we're winning in Iraq today. And you know, you can't choose as Sen. Obama seems to think, to lose in Iraq so you can win in Afghanistan. The reality is if we lost in Iraq-which Obama was prepared to do-we would go to Afghanistan as losers and instead, al Qaeda has its tail tucked between its legs as it's exiting Iraq to go to try to [crosstalk-unintelligible] into Afghanistan.
BAYH: I have to respond to that. Barack Obama was not for "losing" in Iraq. Barack didn't want the war to begin with. John McCain opposed surging troops in Afghanistan till last week. [Lieberman interrupts] Joe, excuse me. Was John for losing in Afghanistan? I don't think so. And now you have Maliki, even President Bush, are moving towards Barack Obama's position. His judgment [crosstalk] was right...
WALLACE: Gentleman, I want to...we could continue this...
LIEBERMAN: Bottom line, no question Barack Obama was prepared to lose in Iraq. [crosstalk]
BAYH: That's not true...
LIEBERMAN: Whether it was right or wrong...
WALLACE: Gentleman, you're going to have to agree to disagree. I want to move on to the whole issue of his trip this week...
