BUSH, CHENEY & RUMSFELD LOVE LIEBERMAN; REAL DEMOCRATS LOVE HOWARD DEAN

Last night I got a call from a very wealthy old friend, very wealthy and very stingy (at least when it comes to political and social causes; he contributes large sums of money to religionist loons to try to buy his way into Heaven, but that's another story). He called last night to rant and rage about Lieberman. Now this guy doesn't know how to turn on a computer and probably has less of a concept of what's on them Internets than Bush does, so I was heartened to hear he was aware that Lieberman had completely deserted the Democratic Party, ala Zell Miller. Lieberman himself, utterly delusional about the scope of the catastrophe in Iraq and the Middle East, is completely aware of what he's doing politically in the U.S. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld have been wooing him and may well appoint him Secretary of Defense early next year. On the other hand, smiles the sleazy Lieberman, "Some Democrats said I was being a traitor," which he says doesn't surprise him, "given the depth of feeling about the war." And although the NY TIMES and other corporate media outlets persists in always referring to him as a "centrist," he is on the far right extreme of the Democratic Party and, on foreign policy, further right than many Republicans. Back to my wealthy, stingy old friend, he was calling to let me know that if Lowell Weicker runs against Lieberman he'll help finance the campaign.

We saw less eye to eye on the overall Democratic strategy of taking on the Far Right. Specifically, he was unhappy about Howard Dean's loud, out-spoken opposition to Bush. This confuses me because my friend actually agrees with everything Dean says. He just allows the mass media to make him think that Dean is "wrong" and "harmful." Whacky! Fortunately, though, the Democratic conclave in Florida this week has NOT taken in by the mass media/corporate-careerist Democratic take on Dean. Petrified, instinctively-reactionary politicians who happen for one reason or another to call themselves Democrats may be attacking Dean like there's no tomorrow, but the 2,000 activists and local office holders in Florida cheered him as the magnificant hero he is.

According to Hot Line On Call, "Florida Democrats want a message to run on, and they are growing less patient without one.
That's one reason why DNC chairman Howard Dean, castigated by members of his party for churning its already mucky Iraq message, was given a rousing welcome Friday night.
He brought one, and to many, it sounded good. Dean told the 2,000 activists and office-holders that they must stick to their guns and loudly, proudly proclaim Democratic values. He previewed the Democrats' national priorities, which the party plans to unveil in the middle of January.
'First, we must restore honesty and integrity to the government of the United States,' he said, drawing the loudest applause of the night. 'Number two, we must have a strong national defense based on telling the truth to our soldiers, our citizens, and our allies.' Third -- 'We want jobs for America that stay in America.' Fourth -- 'We want health care for everyone.' Fifth -- 'balance the budget.' Dean said the key to winning elections for Democrats is to simply knock on doors and loudly, proudly, evangelize. And he did not shy away from Iraq, delivering his version of the Center for America Progress consensus. (He did not change his position, having given this same speech many times before.)"

A friend of mine who was there said that if Lieberman was in the room he would have been tarred and feathered-- if he was lucky.