lieberman-bush.jpg

(H/T to Steve Clemons for the pix.)

It's down to the final decisions on the Match Made in Washington Quote Off.  But I need your help to determine the winners.  Voting begins now, and will continue until tomorrow at noon ET/9:00 am PT.  We'll start round two then -- there were so many submissions, I'm having to break this into pieces for everyone, and then we'll have a quote-off at the end. 

We'll be picking two winners -- one for the most craptastic best Lieberman quote, and one for the most craptastic best Bush quote.  And now, to the Quote Off, Round One:

Lieberman Quotes:

L1:  “Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons, and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States.”  (submitted by CTBob)

L2:  “[W]e have evidence of meetings between Iraqi officials and leaders of al Qaeda, and testimony that Iraqi agents helped train al Qaeda operatives to use chemical and biological weapons. We also know that al Qaeda leaders have been, and are now, harbored in Iraq.

Having reached the conclusion I have about the clear and present danger Saddam represents to the U.S., I want to give the president a limited but strong mandate to act against Saddam.”

–Joe Lieberman (SOB-CN), in “Why Democrats Should Support the President on Iraq”, October 7, 2002  (submitted by EvilDrPuma)

L3:  “The last two weeks have been critically important and I believe may be seen as a turning point in the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism,” Lieberman told reporters after he and a bipartisan group of senators met with Bush and top administration officials on the war.  http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/ 2005-12-17-lieberman-iraq_x.htm  (submitted by Cozumel)

L4:  “The difference in this town — here in Washington — on the war is not between Democrats and Republicans; it’s between people who believe essentially we’ve already lost in Iraq and it’s time to get out — and most of the rest of us who believe not only have we not lost, but we’re winning.” - Joe Lieberman   http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/ 2005-12-17-lieberman-iraq_x.htm (submitted by Cozumel)

L5:  “There are extensive contacts between Saddam Hussein’s government and al Qaeda.” - Joe Lieberman; http://nationalreview.com/interrogatory/ hayes200406020847.asp  (submitted by Cozumel)

L6:  Senator Lieberman wrote about the Iraq he saw: “Progress is visible and practical. There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cell phones in Iraq hands than before.”

Senator Lieberman goes on, “Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes, we do.  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/ 2005/12/20051207-1.html   (submitted by Cozumel)

L7:  Lieberman’s IRAQ Senate September 13, 2002 http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45/ 205.html  This . . ."Saddam hates America and Americans and is working furiously to accumulate deadly weapons of mass destruction and the missiles, planes, and unmanned aerial vehicles to use in attacking distant targets."  and This . . .“The essential facts are known. We know of the weapons in Saddam’s possession–chemical, biological, and nuclear in time”  (submitted by Sonoma Rus)

L8:  Nov 05, Joe Still was Proud to have sent troops unnecessarily off to war   “…It is no surprise to my colleagues that I strongly supported the war in Iraq. I was privileged to be the Democratic cosponsor…”  (submitted by Grandmatoo)

L9:  Benchmarks of Success in Iraq, Nov 2005, Joe’s Benchmarks of Success in Iraq  “…Progress is visible and practical…There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cell phones in Iraqi hands than before…”  (submitted by Grandmatoo)

L10:  From Lieberman Praises Bush, Chides Kerry, Scroll down to the bottom for a collection of some of Joe’s greatest “hits”.  “If John Kerry or anyone else who voted for the war resolution thinks that they were misled in a way that makes them think they voted the wrong way in supporting the war, they have an obligation to say exactly what–what–in what way they were misled. Otherwise, they’re sending, again, a message that I would call ambivalent.” (CBS, “Face The Nation,” 8/31/03)  (submitted by brownandserve)

L11:  From the Wall Street Journal:  “Our Troops Must Stay: America can’t abandon 27 million Iraqis to 10,000 terrorists.  BY JOE LIEBERMAN  Tuesday, November 29, 2005 12:01 a.m. EST  “I am disappointed by Democrats who are more focused on how President Bush took America into the war in Iraq almost three years ago, and by Republicans who are more worried about whether the war will bring them down in next November’s elections, than they are concerned about how we continue the progress in Iraq in the months and years ahead.”  (submitted by mc)

L12:  Howard Dean has climbed into his own spider hole of denial if he believes that the capture of Saddam Hussein has not made America safer. –J. Lieberman, December 2003  (submitted by Ralphbon)

L13:  “[W]e have evidence of meetings between Iraqi officials and leaders of al Qaeda, and testimony that Iraqi agents helped train al Qaeda operatives to use chemical and biological weapons. We also know that al Qaeda leaders have been, and are now, harbored in Iraq.  Having reached the conclusion I have about the clear and present danger Saddam represents to the U.S., I want to give the president a limited but strong mandate to act against Saddam.”   Senator Joseph W. Bush Lieberman http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/ feature.html?id=110002391   (submitted by ccmask)

L14:  “Nationwide, American military leaders estimate that about one-third of the approximately 100,000 members of the Iraqi military are able to “lead the fight” themselves with logistical support from the U.S., and that that number should double by next year. If that happens, American military forces could begin a drawdown in numbers proportional to the increasing self-sufficiency of the Iraqi forces in 2006.”  HoJo, in the WSJ, 29 November 2005.  (submitted by Bargain Countertenor)

L15:  “As long as Saddam is there, Iraq is not just going to be a thorn in our side, but a threat to our lives,'’ Lieberman, the Democrats’ 2000 vice presidential nominee, told reporters Monday in Washington. htp://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles  /2001/10/16/200751.shtml  (submitted by Cozumel)

L16:   Flip:  December 8, 2005  “It is time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be commander in chief for three more critical years, and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation’s peril”

Flop:  September 13, 2006 (After losing the Democratic Primary to Ned Lamont)  “It is wrong for some on the right to imply that some Democrats don’t care if the terrorists succeed, or that debating the merits of the president’s policies on the war on terrorism emboldens our enemies”  http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles  /2006/9/15/205802.shtml  (submitted by Hugh)

L17:  “Whether or not Saddam is implicated directly in the anthrax attacks or the horrors of September 11, he is, by any common definition, a terrorist who must be removed.” - Joe Lieberman  (submitted by Cozumel)

L18:  “The Administration’s recent use of the banner ‘clear, hold, and build’ accurately describes the strategy as I saw it being implemented” in Iraq. Wall Street Journal, Nove. 29, 2005   (submitted by Hettie)

L19:  I believe this was from Aug 2003:  WASHINGTON (CNN) — Sen. Joe Lieberman attacked the left wing of his party Sunday, saying Democrats “don’t deserve to run the country” if they move left and embrace “the failed solutions of the past.”  “If we’re for middle-class tax increases, if we send a message of weakness and ambivalence on defense, if we go back to big government spending, if we’re against trade [and] for protectionism — which never created a job — we don’t deserve to run the country,” Lieberman, a presidential candidate, said on “Fox News Sunday.”  “We’re not going to be able to meet the challenges that America faces today.”  (submitted by ndenial)

L20:  From Joe himself, even though it sounds more like Dick Cheney:  “After bin Laden, we must target Saddam” by Joseph Lieberman. Wall Street Journal. Oct. 29, 2001. pA22: Did Saddam have a direct hand in the attacks on America that began on Sept. 11? The evidence at our disposal is circumstantial but suggestive. We do know that he has not just the motive and malevolence, but the means. And we also know that Iraqi intelligence officials have met at critical times with members of the al Qaeda network. (submitted by mui)

L21:  HoJoe on the reasons for Abu Ghraib. “Let us have faith” by Joseph Lieberman. May 14, 2004. Wall street journal.  HoJoe doing a gee whiz on Abu Ghraib:  Was it somehow also the cumulative effect on a generation raised in an entertainment and Internet culture that has grown increasingly violent and pornographic?  And then argues that firing Rumsfled will only make the terrorists happy:  Many argue that we can only rectify the wrongs done in the Iraqi prisons if Secretary Rumsfeld resigns. I disagree. Unless there is clear evidence connecting him to the wrongdoing, it is neither sensible nor fair to force the resignation of the secretary of defense, who clearly retains the confidence of the Commander in Chief, in the midst of a war. I have yet to see such evidence. Donald Rumsfeld’s removal would delight foreign and domestic opponents of America’s presence in Iraq.  (submitted by mui)

L22:  “Our Resolution” by HoJoe. Wall Street Journal Oct 7, 2002. pg. A.26. HoJoe channeling Dick Cheney again:
So, my answer to “Why now?” is, “Why not earlier?” And, of course, that question has new urgency since Sept. 11, 2001.– Won’t a war against Iraq slow or stop our more urgent war against terrorism? To me, the two are inextricably linked.  (submitted by mui)

L23:  “We must help Iraq overcome terrorist” by Ho Joe. Hartford Courant. Dec. 4 2005. (This editorial could supply many nuggets.)HoJoe on progress in Iraq:  Progress is visible and practical . . . There are many more cars on the streets, satellite television dishes on the roofs, and literally millions more cellphones in Iraqi hands than before. All of that says the Iraqi economy is growing  (submitted by mui)

L24:  "In fact, five years ago, after Saddam ejected the UN inspectors, John McCain and I gave up on containment and introduced the Iraqi Liberation Act, which, when it became law, made a change of regime in Baghdad official US policy. You might therefore say that, when it comes to Iraq, President Bush is just enforcing the McCain-Lieberman policy."  From Joe’s conference speech, February 2003  (submitted by jeffreyw)

Bush Quotes:

B1:  "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" (submitted by egregious)

B2:  “The radicals exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization, exploit resentful and disillusioned young men and women, and use modern technology to multiply their destructive power."  (submitted by GSD)

B3:  “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”  –George W. Bush, “State of the Union”, 1/28/2003  (submitted by EvilDrPuma)

B4:  “It’s in the interest of — uhh — uhh, long-term peace in the world that we — uhh — work for a free and secure and peaceful Iraq. A peeance, freeance secure Iraq in the midst of the Middle East will have enormous historical impact.”  – George Duhh-bya Bush - Oct. 27, 2003 (submitted by twolf1)

B5:  “We know that dictators are quick to choose aggression, while free nations strive to resolve differences in peace.”  Link; Link to source UN speech  (submitted by windje)

B6:  BUSH: “I like to tell people when the final history is written on Iraq, it will look like just a comma because there is — my point is, there’s a strong will for democracy."  CNN interview with Wolf Blitzer, 9/24/06  (submitted by punaise)

B7:  OK… this has got to be Bush’s biggest lie. Ever.  From a March 8, 2003 radio address.  “We are doing everything we can to avoid war in Iraq.”  (submitted by Malacandra)

B8:  Cincinnati, Ohio October 7, 2002  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/ 2002/10/20021007-8.html  My fav . . .“We’ve also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical or biological weapons across broad areas. We’re concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVS for missions targeting the United States”  (submitted by Sonoma Rus)

B9:  “The United States has no quarrel with the Iraqi people; they’ve suffered too long in silent captivity. Liberty for the Iraqi people is a great moral cause, and a great strategic goal. The people of Iraq deserve it; the security of all nations requires it. Free societies do not intimidate through cruelty and conquest, and open societies do not threaten the world with mass murder. The United States supports political and economic liberty in a unified Iraq.”  President Psycho to UN General Assembly, Sept. 2002  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/ 2002/09/20020912-1.html   (submitted by lina)

B10:  “My answer is bring ‘em on.” —President George W. Bush, on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003   (submitted by T-)

B11:  “We gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn’t let them in.”  Bush Press Conference 7/14/2003  (submitted by KnotIookin)

B12:  Bush quote from his Major Combat Operations in Iraq Have Ended speech from May 1, 2003:  "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed. And now our coalition is engaged in securing and reconstructing that country."  (submitted by Disgusted in St. Louis)

B13:  Bush quote, from one of many “listen to the Generals” statements, but recent one via CBS News from September 15, 2006:  “And that’s the way I will continue to conduct the war. I’ll listen to the generals,” Mr. Bush said. “Maybe it’s not the politically expedient thing to do. But you can’t make decisions based on politics about how to win a war.”  (submitted by Disgusted in St. Louis)

B14:  There — it’s — you know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.
– Interview with Katie Couric (CBS News), White House, Sep. 6, 2006  (submitted by Mad Dogs)

B15:  GW Bush: “amazed that this is a society which so wants to be free that they’re willing to — you know, that there’s a level of violence that they [Iraqi's] tolerate.”  (submitted by s)

B16:  http://thinkprogress.org/2006/09/14/barn es-osama/   BUSH:  “bin Laden doesn’t fit with the administration’s strategy for combating terrorism.”   (submitted by Eureka Springs, AR)

B17:  Dubya: Speaking at 2003 RNC Presidental Gala :  “…Since the liberation of Iraq, our investigators have found evidence of a clandestine network of biological laboratories, advanced design work on prohibited long-range missiles, an elaborate campaign to hide these illegal programs.

There’s a lot more to investigate. Yet it is now undeniable — undeniable — that Saddam Hussein was in clear violation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1441…”   (submitted by Grandmatoo)

B18:  Here is Bush saying that we can’t win the war on terror.  “I don’t think you can win it,” Mr. Bush replied. “But I think you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world.”

That’s just a few weeks after he insisted that we will win it.  “One of the interesting things people ask me, now that we are asking questions, is, ‘Can you ever win the war on terror?’ Of course you can.”  (submitted by MarkatNewsCorpse)

B19:  Bush:  "The reason I keep insisting that there was a relationship between Iraq and Saddam and Al Qaeda, because there was a relationship between Iraq and Al Qaeda"  June 17, 2004  http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/1 7/Bush.alqaeda/   (submitted by Hugh)

B20:  Throughout Iraq, we’re also seeing challenges common to young democracies. Corruption is a problem at both the national and local levels of the Iraqi government. We will not tolerate fraud — so our embassy in Baghdad is helping to demand transparency and accountability for the money being invested in reconstruction. We’ve helped the Iraqi people establish institutions like a Commission on Public Integrity and a stronger Supreme Board of Audit to improve oversight of the rebuilding process. Listen, the Iraqi people expect money to be spent openly and honestly — and so do the American people. - GEORGE CLEARING BUSH  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/ 2005/12/20051207-1.html   (submitted by ccmask)

B21:  Asked whether or not we fought the wrong war during an interview on NBC, 8/29/06(I think):
“Did we fight the wrong war, and absolutely not — I have no doubt. The war came to our shores, remember that. We were, we had, a foreign policy that basically said let’s hope calm works. And we were attacked.”  (submitted by Blub)

B22:  “As you know, I’ve made the tough decision to commit American troops into harm’s way. It’s the toughest decision a President can ever make, but I want you to know that I tried diplomacy — in other words, a President has got to be able to say to the American people, diplomacy didn’t work. ”  GWBushleague - Sun City Center, FL - 5/9/2006  http://www.dubyaspeak.com/war.phtml  (submitted by Dee)

B23:  http://www.dubyaspeak.com/search.phtml?n q=torture&stype=all&em=
Under the dictator, prisons like Abu Gar — reb — were symbols of death and torture. That same prison became a symbol of disgraceful conduct by a few American troops who dishonored our country and “disregardered” our values. America will fund the construction of a modern, maximum security prison. When that prison is completed, detainees at Abu Garomp will be relocated. Then, with the approval of the Iraqi government, we will demolish the Abu Garab prison, as a fitting symbol of Iraq’s new beginning.
– Dubya starts out shaky, then completely gives up trying to correctly pronounce the name of the prison infamous for American mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners (Abu Ghraib), United States Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2004   (submitted by Eureka Springs, AR)

B24:  A free Iraq will mean a peaceful world. And it’s very important for us to stay the course, and we will stay the course.  President Discusses AIDS Initiative, Iraq in Botswana, July 10, 2003  (submitted by Glenn from Canada)

B25:  It’s in the national interest of the United States that a peaceful Iraq emerge. And we will stay the course in order to achieve this objective.  President Bush, Ambassador Bremer Discuss Progress in Iraq , October 27, 2003  (submitted by Glenn from Canada)

B26:  … they want us to leave, because they know that a free and peaceful Iraq in their midst will damage their cause. And we will stay the course, we will do our job.  President Bush Visits California — Talks to Victims of Fires, November 4, 2003  (submitted by Glenn from Canada)

B27:  “Had we to do it over again, we would look at the consequences of catastrophic success, being so successful so fast that an enemy that should have surrendered or been done in escaped and lived to fight another day.”
—President Bush, telling Time magazine that he underestimated the Iraqi resistance, Aug. 2004  (submitted by jaxpagan)

B28:  “After the chaos and carnage of September the 11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States, and war is what they got. Some in this chamber, and in our country, did not support the liberation of Iraq. Objections to war often come from principled motives. But let us be candid about the consequences of leaving Saddam Hussein in power. We’re seeking all the facts. Already, the Kay Report identified dozens of weapons of mass destruction-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations.” — State of the Union Address (1/20/04)  (submitted by KnotIoolkin)

B29:  The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas.”  George W. Bush, Oct. 7, 2002   (submitted by KnotIookin)

B30:  “Let me tell you what else I’m worried about: I’m worried about an opponent who uses nation building and the military in the same sentence. See, our view of the military is for our military to be properly prepared to fight and win war and, therefore, prevent war from happening in the first place.”  (submitted by drinksforall)

Hope I haven't missed any quotes.  Let me know if I missed one of yours, and I'll amend the post.  There are some good ones -- please only vote for one Lieberman and one Bush quote, and we'll narrow it down a little tomorrow.  Thanks all.  I'd say happy reading but...well...these all pretty much suck.