Lieberman Without Tears: One unctuous Hawks Demise is not a Trend...

[SaveElmer]

Hold on to your hats, folks. Next month, the peacenik, McGovernite, appeasement-happy Democratic voters of yet another state are primed to take out another pro-war senator! Yes, that's right: Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who voted for the October 2002 Iraq war resolution, is fighting for her political life against intraparty challenger Hong Tran, a public-service attorney from the state who backs "the quick withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq" and ups the ante by arguing that Cantwell, after serving as George W. Bush's handmaiden on Iraq, has now "proudly cosponsored legislation with Republican Senator Rick Santorum (R.-Pa.) that lays the groundwork for military intervention in Iran." Private polls put Tran within striking distance, and my sources in Olympia contend that we may well see a replay of what just happened in Connecticut.

Is the Democratic Party out to immolate itself? Is there no end to this contagion?

There's one problem with the above scenario. It isn't true. Yes, Cantwell is a real senator; yes, she voted for the war (the Iran bit is news to me). Yes, Hong Tran, a woman of Vietnamese-American extraction, is a real person of apparent accomplishment, and she is indeed running against Cantwell chiefly on an anti-war platform. But there are no "private polls" that put Tran "within striking distance," and I have no "sources in Olympia." It's all but certain that Cantwell will waltz to renomination. On Aug. 6 the Seattle Times ran a profile of the "quixotic" challenger that reported Tran had raised a mere $18,000 from just 20 donors. "Confidence, Tran doesn't lack," reporter Alex Fryer concluded. "It's money and support that seem a little thin."

...

I think by now you've caught my point. At this minute, eight Democratic Senate incumbents who voted in favor of the Iraq resolution are seeking re-election: Cantwell, Hillary Clinton (N.Y.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Ben Nelson (Neb.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Tom Carper (Del.), Herb Kohl (Wis.), and of course Joe Lieberman (Conn.), now as an independent. And of those eight, exactly one—Lieberman—faced or is facing a serious primary challenge because of the war.

Salient point further down

...but the long and the short of it is that if the Democrats manage to retake the Senate, their caucus will in all likelihood be more moderate and have more red-staters than the current one.

http://www.slate.com/id/2147566/?nav=tap3

[Phredicles]

1. Still, Hong Tran sounds like an impressive person.

I hope we continue to hear from her in the future, maybe as a congresswoman or state legislator.

[LaurenG]

2. How is this a salient statement?

...but the long and the short of it is that if the Democrats manage to retake the Senate, their caucus will in all likelihood be more moderate and have more red-staters than the current one.

I don't agree plus how would anyone know that?

[SaveElmer]

3. Argument here...

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewWeb&articleId=11794

[acmejack]

4. The voice of the people is not to be tolerated.

Shout it down! These people are not qualified to run their own affairs! We will set the course of the Country for you, select good steady leaders, have we not done such a grand job of seeing to your interests thus far? The exact same arguments were heard when the framers conceived this Nation of ours.

edit for english...

[skeeters2525]

5. YAWN

THIS IS REALLY GETTING BORING. WE ALL GET IT. YOU HATE LEIBERMAN.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[SaveElmer]

6. Hmmm...

If that is what you got out of it you didn't really catch the point I guess...

I would have supported Lieberman had he not made his announcement that he would go Indie.

[LincolnMcGrath]

7. wow

just wow

[CrushTheDLC]

8. Hong Tran definitely has my primary vote!

Unfortunately, she got in fairly late in the campaign, and was overshadowed by the Mark Wilson candidacy, which was questionable all along, as he was so quickly BOUGHT OUT by Cantwell and the DLC.

But McGavick is slightly worse than Cantwell, so I'll do my best to hold my nose in November if I have to. At least Cantwell has been consistent against the oil companies, which is more than you can say for some others on the "barely Democrat" list.