Lieberman Snubs, Distracts Local Media
On Tuesday, after Connecticut for Lieberman candidate Joe Lieberman appeared on Glenn Beck’s radio show, I received a curious e-mail from Dan Gerstein of the Lieberman campaign:
***NATIONAL MEDIA APPEARANCE ADVISORY***
Senator Lieberman will appear on CNN’s Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, today, Tuesday, August 22nd, at 5:30 pm.
Senator Lieberman will also be on MSNBC’s Imus in the Morning, tomorrow, Wednesday, August 23rd, at 7:30 am.
“Quick! Look at CNN and MSNBC! Pay NO ATTENTION to the radio!” is what that e-mail says to me, just not in so many words.
In today’s NYTimes, I learn that no local press (or national press for that matter) were alerted to the outgoing Senator’s appearance on the controversial conservative talk show:
The senator’s aides, who did not alert reporters to his appearance on Mr. Beck’s program, say his recent remarks simply expressed long-held positions.
[...]
“He is saying clearly what he believes,” said Dan Gerstein, Mr. Lieberman’s communications director.
LamontBlog rounds up some quotes of Lieberman “saying clearly what he believes” on Beck’s radio show. After reading some of the things that the Connecticut for Lieberman party candidate believes, it’s no wonder why Dan Gerstein didn’t alert the media to Joe’s appearance:
Joe agreed with Glenn that weapons of mass destruction were not the reason we invaded Iraq:
BECK: I’ve been saying this before we even went into Iraq, that we’re trying to change the face of the Middle East. The weapons of mass destruction was a nice side benefit. We were trying to go and pop the head of the snake in Iran. That’s what we were trying to do. And I don’t think anybody had the courage or could actually come out and say that with world politics the way they are.
LIEBERMAN: Well, you’re right. And I think if I fault the administration for anything before the war — ’cause I think we did the right thing in going in to overthrow Saddam — it’s that they oversold the WMD part of the argument….
If that’s a statement of what Senator Lieberman believes, isn’t it funny that he couldn’t be bothered to share it with the people of Connecticut via one of our local journalists? It’s easy Joe, just head down to WTNH studios, sit down with Mark Davis, and tell him that you agree with Glenn Beck that non-existent WMD is “a nice side benefit” of this costly war in Iraq.