In Praise of Public Life: on Homeland Security


Kuwait: Congressional authorization plus use of force

When Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in 1990, I felt America’s post-Cold War commitment to national principles and international leadership was on the line. I was dismayed by the wide opposition among my fellow Democrats. To me, their position was wrong.

[At a Senate meeting in December 1990], I said, “I definitely think the President should come to Congress for authorization, but I want you to know that if he does, I will support him.”

Source: Excerpt from “In Praise of Public Life”, p.128-9 May 2, 2000

Transform military for post-Cold War

I introduced legislation in 1996 to require the Pentagon to look beyond the near-time horizon, ten or twenty years into the future, to estimate what international dangers the US might have to deal with, and come back and tell us what we should be investing in now to be sure we will be ready then. The legislation resulted in pulling away from the so-called legacy weapons systems of the Cold War and investing in research & development that would produce higher-tech weapons for the next generations.
Source: Excerpt from “In Praise of Public Life”, p.131 May 2, 2000

  • The above quotations are from In Praise of Public Life, by Joe Lieberman.
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Page last updated: Feb 21, 2019