In addition to skipping out on two critical votes on Iraq last week, Sen. Lieberman also missed six other senate votes for a total of eight missed votes in three days. Some were close, others not:

• On the Nomination of Kimberly Ann Moore, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• On the Motion to Table (Motion to Table Kennedy Amdt. No. 4885) (To include information on civil war in Iraq in the quarterly reports on progress toward military and political stability in Iraq.) - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• On the Motion to Table (Motion to Table Mikulski Amdt. No. 4895 ) (To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into or carry out a contract for the performance by a contractor of any base operation support service at Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital) - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• To enhance intelligence community efforts to bring Osama bin Laden and other key leaders of al Qaeda to the justice they deserve. - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• On the Motion to Table (Motion to Table Menendez Amdt. No. 4909 ) (To prohibit the use of funds for a public relations program designed to monitor news media in the United States and the Middle East and create a database of news stories to promote positive coverage of the war in Iraq.) - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• On the Motion to Table (Motion to Table Schumer Amdt. No. 4897) (To make available up to an additional $700,000,000 for Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities to combat the growth of poppies in Afghanistan, to eliminate the production and trade of opium, and heroin, and to prevent terrorists from using the proceeds for terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, and to designate the additional amount as emergency spending.) - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• To make available an additional $65,400,000 for additional appropriations for Aircraft Procurement, Air Force, for the procurement of Predators for Special Operations forces, and to designate the amount as an emergency requirement. - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting


• A bill making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, and for other purposes. - Lieberman (D-CT), Not Voting

"Sleeping Bear," anyone?

Lieberman attacked Weicker [in 1988] for missing votes in the Senate; he aired a TV commercial of a sleeping bear, an effective personal shot that ushered in a new era of nasty political campaigning in Connecticut. Lieberman's point was that Weicker had become too cavalier about voting and doing his job after three terms in office.

And Sen. Lieberman's response?

“I plan to return to the Senate for votes when my presence is a deciding factor and important committee business in which my participation is crucial,” Lieberman wrote. “The task of representation is truly a two-way street.”

So unless the vote is 50-50, Sen. Lieberman says he doesn't have to show up.

But this is nothing new. Sen. Lieberman claims to want to hold Bush accountable on Iraq, but has also missed 11 crucial votes on Iraq in recent years:

LIEBERMAN SKIPPING KEY SENATE VOTES ON IRAQ; HAS MISSED AT LEAST 11 IRAQ VOTES SINCE 2003: On 9/6/06, Lieberman missed a critical close Senate vote on Iraq. Specifically, the vote was on legislation to require the Pentagon to provide more information to Congress and the public on the potential for civil war in Iraq. Lieberman missed this critical vote even though the Hartford Courant noted that Lieberman was in Washington that day. In fact, Lieberman attended the vote that immediately preceded this key Iraq vote. That was on a bill to prevent cluster bombing of civilian targets. Lieberman voted against that bill. Lieberman also missed another close Iraq vote the next day – this time on legislation to stop the Pentagon from trying to artificially influence the Iraqi news media in the wake of embarrassing scandals about U.S. government media tampering that have enflamed anti-American passions in Iraq. In all, Lieberman has missed at least 11 Iraq votes since the war started in 2003. [Sources: Senate Roll Call Vote #233, 9/6/06; Hartford Courant, 9/7/06; Senate Roll Call Vote #232, 9/6/07; Senate Roll Call Vote #236, 9/7/06]

LIEBERMAN ONLY SENATOR TO MISS TWO KEY IRAQ VOTES IN 2003: Lieberman was the only U.S. Senator to miss a close vote on a resolution to urge the president to better engage America’s international allies to help bear the military and financial cost of the war. He was also the only senator to miss a close vote on a bill that would have created a federal agency overseeing Iraq reconstruction money so as to prevent war profiteering. In both cases, the votes were very close, and the legislation in question was defeated. [Sources: Senate Roll Call Vote #391, 10/17/03; Senate Roll Call Vote #392, 10/17/03]