I'm a bit too young to remember the classic moment in the 1988 VP debate when Lloyd Bentsen put that idiot, Dan Quayle, in his proper place.
Now that classic quote is more relevant than ever, with regards to Senator Joseph Lieberman. A group of people, in particular, Marshall Wittman, of the Bull Moose blog fame, have argued vehemently that Lieberman is being persecuted by "leftist doves" and "McGovernites with Modems" because they despise strong centrist hawks in the mold of Truman and JFK.
At first I laughed after reading such commentary, but then I got really angry and upset. You see, I'm a former right-wing Republican from Georgia who's now a moderate Clinton democrat. I LOVE Truman and Kennedy for their rigorous promotion of American ideals abroad and here at home, especially with regards to civil rights. I am angry because Lieberman's actions in no way reflect the values and beliefs of those great men. Kennedy was a hawk, but he was not reckless and knew where and when to use military force. If he had lived, the Vietnam debacle would not have taken place. He certainly would not preemptively invade a nation based on false premises. Moreover, both Kennedy and Truman promoted unpopular positions like civil rights, and in the case of Truman, he almost lost election because of it. Now, it is true that Lieberman was a freedom rider in Mississippi in the late 60's and I respect him for that. But as a senator, I merely see opportunism, moral sanctimony, and anger at democrats for not giving him the nomination in 2004. We now see this same sense of self-entitlement manifesting itself during the primary.
As I said before, I am not a dove by any means; I supported the first Gulf War, was upset at Clinton for not doing more in Rwanda, supported the Kosovo War, and of course, the Afghanistan conflict. As a moderate dem, I simply do not see the image of Truman or JFK when I look at Lieberman. Senator Lieberman, you never have been and never will be, Jack Kennedy.