Sharpton To Obama: Why Did You Support Lieberman?

Al Sharpton asks a very important question:

"Why shouldn't the black community ask questions? Are we now being told, 'You all just shut up?'" Sharpton told CBS 2's Marcia Kramer Monday. "Senator Obama and I agree that the war is wrong, but then I want to know why he went to Connecticut and helped [Sen. Joseph] Lieberman, the biggest supporter of the war."

I almost forgot about that, Al. Thanks for the reminder. Sharpton was of course a visible supporter of Ned Lamont. David Sirota further adds:

Obama came up to campaign for Lieberman before the primary, very carefully timing his appearance at the Connecticut Democratic Party to try to kill Ned Lamont’s antiwar primary challenge before it got off the ground. Then in the general election, he refused to lift a finger for Lamont.

This is a legitimate issue Obama needs to address soon. Absent any convincing response from him, I find it hard to believe that someone as supposedly anti-Iraq war as he is chose to campaign for the likes of Joe "Iraq forever" Lieberman.

I don't have a dog in this fight yet since it's way too early to choose which presidential candidate to support. But those of us who identify Iraq as the defining issue for '08 needs a straight answer from a man who's tauting his anti-Iraq war credentials. If he says friendship or politics is the reason, that's not good enough. He could've chosen to sit that one down; the fact that he didn't is a glaring indication to me of what Obama's priorities are. I agree with Matt Stoller:

Why, in 2006, did he support a candidate like Lieberman who, whatever his personal qualities, represents a dramatic right-wing extremist ideology on America's place in the world? ...it's important to know why Obama chose a 'go along get along' attitude in a key race, and why he displays this tendency in his political instincts [...]

Obama's campaign is impressive, and his personal charisma is remarkable. He's certainly progressive in his policy sympathies, and he's definitely brilliant. The question is whether he is able to follow through on a progressive politics that actually changes the rules of the game.

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