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Lieberman: Yes, no, maybe so

A post-Democrat at the Pentagon?

Joe Lieberman has long served as a part of post-Democrat clique, and now it's time for his culmination: service in the administration of George W. Bush. There's every indication that in fact he will take Rumsfeld's Pentagon post -- the two had breakfast together yesterday, and during his most recent visit to Iraq in late November, Lieberman ramped up his lying about the occupation there to Bush cabinet levels: "Progress is visible and practical," Lieberman wrote in the Wall Street Journal in an atrocious opinion piece (Read Joshua Holland's fine piece that tangles with Lieberman's op-ed).

Lieberman wrote that he was "thrilled" to watch "a vigorous political campaign" in the Sunni triangle, "and a large number of independent television stations and newspapers covering it."

But then came the denials that Lieberman would join the White House gang. His aides spoke of his $3.5 million re-election war chest, and the fact that he has a campaign staff. And Rumsfeld said he had "no plans" to retire.

All this leaves me wondering: Why has Lieberman become such a passionate liar about Iraq if he doesn't want a job with Bush? True, Lieberman has backed the war to the hilt -- it was he who introduced the Iraq resolution back in 2002, and hasn't backed down, but still...

Jan Frel is an AlterNet staff writer.