Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told Newsmax on Thursday that the legacy of Joe Lieberman is that of a man who put "public interest" above party, even to his own detriment.
Hoenlein, who said he had the "privilege" of being friends with Lieberman for "many decades" until the former senator's death on Wednesday, told "American Agenda" that Lieberman was part of a lost breed of politicians who did what was "best for America," not themselves.
"He was a man who put the public interest above partisanship, above party. He was somebody who was a man of such principle, I think unparalleled in modern-day politics," Hoenlein said. "He was in the tradition of [Henry] 'Scoop' Jackson, who looked for what was best for America, both domestically and internationally.
"And he had such a grasp of the issues that even when he knew that it might cost him politically, he stood by those principles and advocated for public policy that would best serve America's interest," Hoenlein added.
Hoenlein was asked why he thought that was the case for Lieberman, the Democrat-turned-independent who serve in the Senate from 1989-2013.
"It's a good question these days because we, unfortunately, don't see it that often," Hoenlein said. "But you know what? There was a breed of politicians who didn't go into politics for personal gain or for personal aggrandizement or their own personal needs. They went into it because they really believed in public service, in meeting the needs of the public."
For example, Lieberman not only strongly supported the U.S. war in Iraq, but he suggested in 2007 that the U.S. should "take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq," a stance that went beyond that of President George W. Bush's administration.
Now look where we are, Hoenlein said.
"And he understood when it came to the issue of Iran, for instance, that even if it meant going against his own president and standing up, because he understood what the long-term implications of not caving in to Iran would mean. And, unfortunately, we're paying a price because not enough people believed it," he said.
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