Obama Makes it Really Hard for Lieberman to Support Him

Joe Lieberman really has tried to put the past behind him and work with President Obama. But boy, Obama sure is making that difficult. Social and spending issues are one thing, leaving the United States vulnerable is quite another. Lieberman wasted no time letting Obama know what a mistake he’s making when it comes to missile defense.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) has tried to mend his relationship with President Obama in recent months, but their reconciliation hit a snag Monday over ballistic missile defense.

Lieberman, the self-described independent Democrat who during the 2008 campaign questioned Obama’s credentials to serve as commander in chief, has panned the Obama administration’s proposal to cut the nation’s missile defense shield.

Lieberman had begun to sing Obama’s praises in recent weeks, but his song sounded a decidedly harsh note this week. As during the campaign, the latest tension stems from disagreement over national security and foreign policy.

Lieberman, who campaigned for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last year, has a reputation in the Senate as a defense hawk.

“Cooperation on missile defense is now a critical component of many of our closest security partnerships around the world,” Lieberman wrote in a letter to the president. “We fear that cuts to the budget for missile defense could inadvertently undermine these relationships and foster the impression that the United States is an unreliable ally.

“Moreover, sharp cuts would leave us and our friends around the world less capable of responding to the growing ballistic missile threat.”

Lieberman, a longtime supporter of a robust missile defense program, is the lead signatory on the letter.

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich (D) and four Republicans, Sens. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Jeff Sessions (Ala.) and James Inhofe (Okla.), also signed it. (An important battery of interceptor missiles is based in Fort Greely, Alaska.)

Barack Obama is dangerously naive and there is little doubt that our enemies are aware of, and will take advantage of that naiveté.