I appreciate this essay on Lieberman’s religious character, especially since Lieberman and his allies (Lanny Davis) have smeared all who have disagreed with him by claiming his opponents are closet anti-semites. Instead of dealing with my issues as a citizen and a voter, he chooses to impugn my character. I think that makes his character (religious and otherwise) fair game.

Hypocrisy is the issue: First he claims he’s the real Democrat in the race, then he bolts the party to run as an independent. He wears his religion on his sleeve and seeks recognition for his morality, yet he ignores the teachings of his faith.

This essay seems to have inspired a “snark spiral” (apologies to Lev) with much piling on to Mr. Hirsch. But does anyone have something to add besides more of the same?

Sometimes somebody says something that confirms or validates your own deeply held convictions or conclusions, and Mr. Hirsch touched an emotional nerve when he recalled his concern that the campaign against President Clinton “looked and felt like an attempted coup” and that Joe Lieberman was participating. I felt the same way, and I felt that the Republican effort along with the collapse of the opposition (Sen. Lieberman was a role model of complicity) was a threat to our democracy.

Lieberman’s complicity and the collapse of the opposition has rolled on for the better part of eight years.

Thank you Mr. Hirsch for reminding me of that again.

I wish we had politicians in this country as direct and powerfully well-spoken as Yossi Sarid. He brilliantly sums up the significance of America's fall from power and influence in global politics under George Bush.

Taken together with Daniel Levy's editorial in Haaretz from last week "Ending the Neocon Nightmare" (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/746312.html), and I'm thinking of adding Haaretz to my favorite places menu.

Those posting on here in support of Lieberman are fifth columnists, same as Joe. Go rally your own troops, instead of trying to undermine ours.

When Joe Lieberman launches his Get-Out-the-Vote effort on election day it’s going to adversely affect the Democrats chances of winning the three house races in that state, because a startling 75 percent of Republicans in CT support Lieberman; ergo, Lieberman will be getting out the Republican vote.

Democrats, consequently, need to redouble their support of Lamont’s campaign. Control of both the Senate and the House hang in the balance.

Lieberman has:

* Claimed to be “the real Democrat” in the race, and then bolted the party when he lost the primary

* Run a nasty primary and now general election campaign using Republican talking points and bashing Democrats

* Impugned the character of the people who oppose him instead of addressing their issues.

* Failed to hold Bush accountable for the disastrous war in Iraq

* Failed to hold Bush accountable for undermining the Constitution

* Failed to hold Bush accountable for breaking the law

* Attacked fellow Democrats or jammed up the works whenever the party has tried to act as an opposition party against Bush and the Neoconservatives

* Supported the Bush administration’s draconian overreach in the Terri Schiavo case

* Undermined Social Security in favor of “reform”

* Supported bankruptcy reform that will hurt millions of people at the expense of big business

* Supported the worst Supreme Court candidates (Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito)

* Refused to listen to or respond to letters or comments expressing concern from out-of-CT citizens while appealing for money from out-of-state supporters

* Helped Republicans run down President Clinton in the 1990s

* Emboldened Neoconservatives in their support of Israel’s war in Lebanon, which has disastrously undermined Israel’s security (“With friends like these…”)

* Supported the Dubai Port Deal which would have put a state-owned company of a state that boycotts Israel in charge of all of the ports on the East Coast of the US.

* Consorted with racists and anti-Semites like Louis Farrakhan