Harkin 'Surprised' By Lieberman Claim He Wasn't Pushed On Public Option

Surprise, surprise, surprise. They were so steadfast-- right until they folded like WalMart card tables.

Folks, we can keep reporting these statements as if they're real, or we can assume that everyone is posturing to avoid saying something to embarrass themselves to whatever extent they can, so long as they can preserve the fragile senate vote. Lieberman has an interest in not wanting to seem like a pariah, so he minimizes conflict. Harkin has an interest in being seen as a champion for the PO and shifts blame off the Senate. Feingold has the same interest as Harkin, but because Feingold has an election and he's a bit of a jerk, he'll make his views more public.

The idea that Harkin would not have a clue what was being said to Lieberman is absurd.

I wonder if Harkin is surprised that Obama didn't talk to Lieberman about the public option, or is surprised by Lieberman's CLAIM that Obama didn't talk to him about the public option...the latter makes more sense, given what a lying sack of crap Lieberman is. Perhaps it's a little jab at Joe.

You can't spell Lieberman without starting with a Lie.

Lieberman lied to the voters of CT to get re-elected in 2006, saying that he was committed universal health care. He lied to the American people a few weeks ago when he said that he was for a medicare buy-in as a substitute for the public option. He will lie again whenever it suits him to burnish his image and get on Fox News.

I've lost complete faith in the congress of the United States to act in a civil, responsible manner. They have long since forgotten that they work for the tax payers and have come to believe that they're corporate liasons to the money tree.

Folks I don't think Lieberman would go public unless he can back that up.Remember Lieberman still wants to be a chairman of a committee.

Or Lieberman knows that the Prez is a wimp,which he is anyway,and so now Lieberamn ain't scared of the fight.

The supposedly smartest man(Obama) on the political stage has been played by a Senator, Lieberman, who can't even win re-election in his own state at this time.

Pathetic leadership.We have a wimp leading the country.It's going to be a tough 3 yrs folks.

I am not sure that Lieberman had any interest in what Obama said during the campagin. He was busy holding the hand of McCain

Lieberdick, knowing who he is, is probably still trying to cause a problem down the road. He still wants it to fail just to spite the Dems. Bitter old scumball.

I'm with the "you can't believe Lieberman" crowd on this. I suspect Lieberman is quite happy to have people believe that the whole public option thing wasn't important to Obama either, so it's a convenient tale.

THAT'S THE POINT. If Obama had pushed HARD, if he pressured Lieberman, and he failed in the end I would have had no problem with it. It would have sucked but I would have supported the President fully. The fact that HE DIDN'T EVEN FIGHT FOR ME pisses me off. For that reason, he will be lucky to get my vote in 2012, because when we needed him the most, he didn't even try. AT ALL.

I wouldn't trust Lieberman to tell the truth about anything. But his story is plausible given the backroom deals with special corporate interests Obama cut before the debate started.

P.S. I suspect who takes the hit for their not being a public option depends on how the winds blow. If the public is pissed, the White House will blame the Senate and claim that, oh yes, we pressured the senators to support the public option. If the public is not, President Obama will simply continue making statement like the one he did today, where he suggested that his wisdom led him to believe that the public option had become too symbolic so he took the high ground and got rid of it.

Doesn't matter now.

All that is left is to try to get the best bill we can coming out of conference.

Who gets to be in that room, and who does not, will be quite telling indeed.

You know:

When various commenters said that Lieberman enjoyed the spotlight and would do and say anything to remain there...

well, I thought it was unfair.

I must ask, however: Why is this one sentence news enought to warrant a separate posting?? Are we to believe Lieberman about his interactions w/someone (the President) he clearly dislikes personally???

I think that Lieberman's little nugget is to encourage the grumbling that the President is responsible for the disappeared "public option," and to encourage what can be arguably be called the "paranoid political style" (Hoffstadter) of the Left.

Let's give Lieberman a break, why don't we??

I think he deserves one after all the damage he's inflicted...

mphillip

The most unfortunate thing is progressives are taking Lieberman's word over everyone elses, anyone else catch Darcy Bruner on Hardball last night. Wow, Lieberman is a proven liar, but since it suits her Bruner, someone I've send money to to run for congress, uses him as her excuse to believe the worst in the Whitehouse. It is pretty fucked up. Joe Lieberman, liar.