Joe Lieberman branded a Judas in row set to split the party over Iraq

[T_i_B]

The headline of the article refers to a "senior democrat" but all the same, am I the only person who's just a wee bit uncomfortable with using that term to describe a Jewish guy? :shrug: Still, the Lamont / Lieberman contest has been getting some coverage over here so I thought that i might as well post this.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/07/30/wlieb30.xml

Like A drowning man, Senator Joe Lieberman, one of the Democratic party's most respected figures, is clutching on to former president Bill Clinton in a desperate effort to save his political life. But some Lieberman supporters believe Mr Clinton is acting only to protect his wife's own political fortunes and that he could eventually help seal the demise of the Connecticut senator's career.

Mr Lieberman, who in 2000 came within a whisker of becoming America's first Jewish vice-president, is facing defeat in a Senate primary by a political newcomer challenging from the Left of his own party.

The ugly battle threatens to split the Democrats into two camps - a traditional, moderate and hawkish one represented by Sen Lieberman, who strongly supports the Iraq war, and a young, liberal, anti-war one that supports his opponent, Ned Lamont.

Mr Lamont, a multi-millionaire- scion of the J.P. Morgan banking family, has successfully painted Mr Lieberman as a lackey of President George W. Bush who has lost touch with his party's roots.

[Lost-in-FL]

1. I heard that expression before

directed to non-Jewish as well :shrug:

but I understand your point. It is kinda tricky.

[n2doc]

2. "most respected figures"??!!??

Maybe by the DLC. Not by the rank and file.

[Joe Bacon]

3. Joe LIEberman is the Vanilla Ice of politics

and he's getting laughed off the stage just like Vanilla Ice.

Ice Ice Baby, to go...

[alvarezadams]

4. LOL!

Vanilla Ice feat. Mili Vanilli.

[Toots]

5. Mr Lamont, a multi-millionaire

Isn't Lieberman also a multi-millionaire? Talk about slanted coverage....

[calico1]

6. Since when does "moderate and hawkish"

describe a "traditional" Democrat?

[karynnj]

10. My view too - moderate and hawkish don't go together

The Telegraph is one of the more conservative UK papers. What is insidious is that those descriptors are added as if they were official or factual - rather than opinion.

[AzDar]

7. I object to ANY biblical references in politics; let's just say that

Joe-hole is a lousy Democrat whose time is up, and be done with it!
Go Ned!!

[Cocoa]

8. it's attributed to "Lamont supporters"

the "senior democrat" was Lieberman himself.

I think the word Judas came from this reporter's ass.

[leesa]

9. Telegraph is really right wing. It will be real slanted.

If Lieberman is Judas, I wonder who Jesus is?

[JeffR]

11. Al Gore?

[Rosemary2205]

12. No calling him Judas is not bigotry.

IMHO picking a different word than "Judas" simply because he's Jewish would have been bigotry though. --- Quite frankly, I doubt most of the readers of the Telegraph automatically think of Lieberman in terms of religion.