Imus Rips Lieberman

I was surfing briefly this morning as I was getting ready for work and caught Don Imus on MSNBC interviewing Joe Lieberman. Now, I usually don't listen to Imus as he's gotten a little kooky in his later years, but I have to admit, when he has something to say, he doesn't hold back.

He asked Lieberman what the next step would be when this "surge" doesn't work. Lieberman tried to weasel out of the question, but like a pit bull with a piece of meat in his jaws, Imus wouldn't let up. I was able to record some of the interview but haven't had a chance to upload yet.

UPDATE: Here's the video!

In the meantime, here's part of the transcript:

Imus: "I was talking with Colonel Jack Jacobs who we have on... I don't know once or twice a week..."

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Good. He's great."

Imus: "Yeah he is. He pointed out regarding this troop surge, that it really only amounts to about a fifteen percent increase in troop strength, hardly enough to do anything or to have any impact at all. What's your view of that?"

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Well, I worry about it but I think it will have an impact. If I had my druthers I would have increased it from twenty-one thousand to maybe thirty-five thousand. But I do think we are putting in another five brigades which is oh sixteen, seventeen thousand soldiers into Baghdad that is a doubling of American forces, coalition forces we've got in Baghdad now and it will have an effect. The other place we are going to put the remaining four thousand or so, is in Anbar province to the west. When McCain and I and Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins were in Iraq in December, we went to Ramadi, which is sort of the capital of Anbar province, we met an incredible group of soldiers, ours, who were there making progress, they turned Sunni Sheiks in that area against Al Qaeda. You know these are reinforcements for them. I think we could really make some progress, even win some victories over in Anbar so. I think this is a significant... nobody has come up with a better idea to basically stop the violence in Baghdad which is getting in the way of reviving the economy and ultimately getting Iraqi politicians to do the things they've got to do but if you gave my druthers I'd have it up to about thirty-five thousands."

Imus: "Well what happens when this doesn't work which is what is going to happen."

Sen. Joe Lieberman: "Well, let's hope and pray it works."

Imus: "No, I know but it's not going to."

Sen. Lieberman: "No..."

Imus: "Well you have to face reality Senator. It's not going to work. Maliki is not going to jump ugly with Al Sadr, he owes his seat to his support. Everybody knows that. He's already dragging his feet. He's contemptuous of, it's like loaning money to relatives, he's contemptuous of U.S. support anyway, Maliki is, so what happens next when none of this works?"

Sen. Lieberman: "Yeah in fairness some of the stuff he says I think is said for local, domestic consumption but there is no question that he and most of them involved in politics and frankly most of the people, know that they want us out but not now, that's the story. Not everybody can understand they don't want an occupying force but they know that the place really would fall apart. There would be open armed civil war and the Iranians would come in and dominate a good part of the country, so let's hope and pray it works."