Joe Lieberman

Some in my party threaten to send a message that they don’t know a just war when they see it, and more broadly that they’re not prepared to use our military strength to protect our security and the cause of freedom.

We need to ensure our men and women in uniform are equipped with the very best money can buy. We also have to make sure critical military technologies are developed in America and that the U.S. defense manufacturing base remains healthy and strong.

I also know that there have been many times in our history when the proximity of an election has induced exactly the kind of leadership and consensus-building that produce progress in our democracy.

In this era of uncertainty and conflict, the United States – blessed with the world’s strongest military, most ingenious economy, and most tolerant society – remains a model and leader to the world.

You know, I respect what Howard Dean has been able to do. It’s good for our party. But I’ve got to tell you this: If money alone decided presidential nominations, Phil Gramm would have been nominated in ’96.

I urge the Bush Administration to rethink its priorities. We can’t talk about community values without being prepared to invest in those very same communities.

Every day, first responders put their own lives on the line to ensure our safety. The least we can do is make sure they have the tools to protect and serve their communities.

We have reached an important milestone and achieved a new momentum in reaching a goal all Americans should embrace – building a secure, peaceful, democratic Iraq that is no longer a threat to the United States or the international community.

We must not condemn to frustration those whose job it is to protect us by failing to provide them with the necessary resources to meet the threats they face.

We have the largest economy and the strongest military in the world. Our core values of freedom and opportunity are ascendant around the globe.

The way we’re really going to grow the economy is to invest in people, to invest in innovation, to have the federal government put money in the kind of research that will create the new high-technology, biotechnology industries that will create the millions of new jobs.

I support development and deployment of a limited national missile defense. Few if any of our duties surpass our obligation to provide for the common defense of our nation.

I believe that our national security lies not just in protecting our borders, but in bridging divides.

Today, we can see with our own eyes what global warming is doing. In that context it becomes truly irresponsible, if not immoral, for us not to do something.

Global warming is not a conqueror to kneel before – but a challenge to rise to. A challenge we must rise to.

I share the anger, but, ultimately, to govern this country, it takes more than anger. It takes experience. It takes positions that reflect the best values of the American people.

I also urge the Obama administration – both on its own and in cooperation with other responsible governments around the world – to use all legal means necessary to shut down WikiLeaks before it can do more damage by releasing additional cables. WikiLeaks’ activities represent a shared threat to collective international security.

Community means engaging constructively with like-minded nations to build strong, sustaining institutions and alliances – and bringing emerging powers into this community so future conflict becomes less likely.

This is an exciting time. I believe we stand at the edge of a new age – a Golden Age – of freedom that will rival any of the great eras of world history because it will be the entire world itself that is changing.

I’ve spent the last year listening to Americans, and the state of the union that George W. Bush lives in is very different from the state that most hardworking Americans are living in.

The promise of education reform can never be fulfilled without adequate funding, and by shortchanging our schools, President Bush is breaking his promise to our children.

Every day Saddam remains in power with chemical weapons, biological weapons, and the development of nuclear weapons is a day of danger for the United States.