Lieberman responds to the DFA letter....says the same thing as before.

[madfloridian]

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/007279.html

Sen. Lieberman's Reply to Jim Dean
DFA Chair, Jim Dean delivered your letter to Senator Joseph Lieberman's office in Hartford yesterday. The Senator replied in writing. We at DFA believe in free speech and giving those we may disagree with an opportunity to make their case. In that spirit, here is Senator Lieberman's letter (click for full-size PDF):

Dear Jim,

Thank you for writing. Your opinion is important to me, even if it is critical of a position I have taken. Debate is the nature of our system. In fact, it is one of the enduring sources of our national strength.

I know we disagree on the war in Iraq, and I want to be clear: I believe we were right to go into Iraq and I believe we are pursuing worthy and achievable goals. I also believe our country, as well as the Iraqi people, will be far better off if we, and they, are successful there than if we fail there. I have visited Iraq four times in the past 17 months and I have seen the progress there on the military, political and economic fronts. It is enough? No. Would I like to see it happen more quickly? Yes. But we are making progress.

In a recent series of speeches, essays and interviews, I have been trying to encourage a conversation in Iraq that will focus our nation's minds and hearts on what can be done to win in Iraq. And on a subject so important, I have asked that it be a debate free of politics and posturing on all sides.

I have been clear all along that I believe the Bush Administration made many mistakes in the run-up to the invasion and its aftermath. I have encouraged and supported debates and Congressional investigations into those mistakes, whether in intelligence, war planning, or Iraqi reconstruction. I have always believed that out of those types of debates, even on sensitive issues, comes better public policy, and a healthier, more vibrant democracy, especially when those debates are respectful and bipartisan. We must find out what went wrong so we can fix it now and make sure it never happens again. And we must hold those who have made mistakes accountable.

But I also believe we must be careful not to allow debate about why we over threw Saddam and who is responsible for the mistakes to draw our attention away from the national focus we must maintain now to try to find a way to achieve a stable democracy in Iraq. It is crucial for the security of the Iraqi people, for the Middle East, for our nation, and for the world. I believe a debate about how best to do that is necessary to achieve our national goals while protecting our men and women in uniform.

Don't debate the bad stuff, just let it go. No, Joe Lieberman, you are wrong. What you want to do is stifle dissent.