The Great Schism?

Is Sen. Joe Lieberman causing a split within the Democratic Party? Considering that Joe has been one of the few sane voices within the Democratic Party leadership (he was the former VP candidate in 2000), his voice was alone in maintaining consistent support for the Administration's aims in Iraq and the global war on terror in general.

That has sparked tremendous ire among the ranks. After all, Howard Dean, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Murtha, and a whole host of the usual suspects have decried every Administration statement made about the war, continue to call the Administration liars that have misled the American public, and call for a withdrawal from Iraq sooner rather than later (though more than a few statements have been made for an immediate withdrawal). Howard Dean has said that the US can't win in Iraq, despite the fact that the US has eliminated thousands of terrorists, uncovered numerous al Qaeda leaders, and even al Qaeda considers Iraq central to their global jihad.

In the last few days, the senator has riled Democratic activists and politicians here and in his home state with his vigorous defense of President Bush's handling of the Iraq war at a time some Democrats are pressuring the administration to begin a withdrawal.

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Carol T. Powers for The New York Times
Joseph I. Lieberman has angered fellow Democrats, in one instance by reminding them that President Bush is commander in chief.
Mr. Lieberman particularly infuriated his colleagues when he pointed out at a conference here that President Bush would be commander in chief for three more years and said that "it's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that."

"We undermine the president's credibility at our nation's peril," Mr. Lieberman said.

Much of the open criticism has been from liberal groups and House members. But his comments have also rankled Democrats in the Senate. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the minority leader, phoned Mr. Lieberman this week to express concerns with his views, Mr. Reid's aide said.

"Senator Reid has a lot of respect for Senator Lieberman," said Jim Manley, a Reid spokesman. "But he feels that Senator Lieberman's position on Iraq is at odds with many Americans."

An aide to another leading Democratic senator who insisted on anonymity said the feelings toward Mr. Lieberman could be summed up as, "The American people want to hold George Bush accountable for the failed policy in Iraq, and Senator Lieberman doesn't."

One of the key metrics that Democrats point to is polling data. That's quite troubling indeed. After all, with persistent negative reporting by a media that is self-identified as liberal/leftist, the public's views on Iraq are skewed by the media bias from the big media. And, it's a far cry from what the Iraqi and Afghans themselves believe. Both are largely optimistic about the success of our efforts to transform their countries. And both think positively about the US presense.

Those in the armed forces currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan also disagree with the Democratic leadership - they know that they're successfully dealing with the mission, and that they are succeeding in eliminating terrorists - going after the terrorists in the heart of the Middle East, and that their efforts are not being wasted, nor is the Iraq mission a sideshow in the war on terror.

In fact, Lieberman's comments aren't causing a schism within the Democrats, but rather are the first step in expelling anyone who differs from the Democratic Party line of anti-war and anti-Bush all the time. Lieberman would be the most prominent member of the party to get the heave-ho for rationality.

UPDATE:
Seixon comments on the Dean of History Revisionism. Howard Dean has moved on to revising current events, and doesn't do a very good job. Don Surber wrote an ode to Democrats. A eulogy might be more appropriate.