WASHINGTON – Democratic Sen. Al Franken took the unusual step Thursday of shutting down Sen. Joe Lieberman on the Senate floor.

Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, currently is the target of liberal wrath over his opposition to a government-run insurance plan in the health care bill.

Franken was presiding over the Senate Thursday afternoon as Lieberman spoke about amendments he planned to offer to the bill. Lieberman asked for an additional moment to finish — a routine request — but Franken refused to grant the time.

"In my capacity as the senator from Minnesota, I object," Franken said.

"Really?" said Lieberman. "OK."

Lieberman then said he'd submit the rest of his statement in writing.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona came to his friend Lieberman's defense, saying he'd never seen such a thing occur.

"I must say that I don't know what's happening here in this body but I think it's wrong," McCain said on the floor.

Franken's spokeswoman, Jess McIntosh, said that the Minnesota senator wouldn't allow Lieberman to continue because time limits were being enforced by Senate leaders rushing to finish a defense spending bill and get to the health bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091217/ap_on_go_co/us_senate_lieberman;
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I dont know about Franken's history as a politician but I always thought he was a BRILLIANT policial comedian and commentator.

It looks as though Lieberman has been able to single-handed do what the whole Republican Party was unable to.

Without any kind of Public Option in the bill many Democrats are refusing to sign it.

For his one vote they have given up many more.
Obama is trying to rally them by saying that any health care bill is better than none, but without a public option I'm not sure I agree.
With time running out to get the bill passed it's appearing to be dead.

Obama resists as liberals attack health care bill

WASHINGTON – The White House and its allies scrambled Thursday to quash a growing liberal assault on a much-compromised health care proposal, hoping to keep President Barack Obama's top domestic priority from being crushed between the political left and right.

In Senate speeches, TV appearances, blogs and other outlets, Obama's supporters said the latest attacks are exaggerated and troubling, because Senate Democratic leaders can't spare a single vote in trying to overcome fierce GOP opposition.

But some prominent liberals, led by former presidential candidate Howard Dean, say the Senate bill is so diluted that it's worse than nothing at all. Powerful labor unions were equally disenchanted but urged lawmakers to press on, hoping to improve the bill in House-Senate negotiations.

"Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over health care and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real health care reform," Dean, a doctor and former Vermont governor and national Democratic Party chairman, said in an op-ed column in the Washington Post.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091217/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_liberals

Leiberman is a sick joke. He acts like he is proud he screwed over millions of people. The guy never worked a day in his life and never ever will have to worry about healthcare. I hope he gets trounced next election. I suspect if we ever have revelution in this country he will be one of the first put on trial along side Bush and Cheney and Rumsfeld.

Yeah, brilliantly stupid.

I think the only hope for Health-care reform now is to put up the bill Lieberman raised so much of a fuss about to vote, and let it fail or pass on his reputation.

I feel like these guys,

"The absolute refusal of Republicans in the Senate to support health care reform and the hijacking of the bill by defenders of the insurance industry have brought us a Senate bill that is inadequate," Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, said in a statement.

His criticism of GOP lawmakers aside, Trumka's blast seemed aimed at Nelson, Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and possibly other members of the Senate Democratic caucus who have successfully stripped the legislation of any form of government-run insurance option.

Andrew Stern, head of the Service Employees International Union, said he, too, was deeply disappointed in the bill.

But like Trumka, he stopped short of urging its defeat. Not so Howard Dean, the former national party chairman, who has said he would oppose the legislation because it does not include a strong enough role for the government in a remade health care system. Dean unleashed his criticism this week after Lieberman won the deletion of a proposed expansion of Medicare from the bill.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091217/ap_on_go_co/us_health_care_overhaul

The dems are caught in a catch 22 situation.....gone is their beloved public option and their hastily substituted medicare expansion and now they are willing to pass anything in order to save face....Voters will make em pay in 2010.

Aloha Mr. Reid.....

You act happy!

Well it's not over yet, but it is a sad thing for all Americans when the Insurance lobbyist are able to buy off that many politicians.

Even if some of us can't see who the winners are. Most can!
And it ain't the People.

i watched it..it was hilarious...
love jon stewarts rendition of him as droopy dog...

I applaud his effort to sideline a typical obstructionist delaying tactic.
You go Al!

I just want them to vote already. I am to the point where I could care less about it. Either way, this is their last chance. 2010 is going to bring the end to the democrats huge majorities.

<------ sitting next to Invictus and watching

You bring the blanket, Ill grab the beer..

We'll see. Polling shows a narrow majority favoring the Dems in 2010.
Me, myself, and I am favoring anyone but a Republican.
I'd even go for The Conservative Party.
Libertarian looks good too.
Anyone but Republican!

We will see.. I don't believe republicans deserve to win back control of either the House or Senate. They won't win back either, but they will win enough seats to make the Dems very uncomfortable.

There was never any real debate on health care issues - the only debate was over whether or not the government should compete with private health care. If Congress had put all that effort into coming up with ideas to reduce medical costs and premiums, to reduce fraud, waste or lawsuits, and to get more people insured,
Americans could have had a good bill. Democrats were determined to find a way that would eventually lead to a single payer system and end private health insurance. The people have been screwed by the democrats.

What's left in the bill pisses off seniors by taking away medicare advantage, pisses off those in their 20's or 30's who now will have to buy health insurance, pissing off those in their 20's or 30's who have health insurance but whose premiums will go up, and gives the insurers 30 million new clients of which the government who is running trillion dollar deficits will pay most of their premiums.

More than 70% of the country wanted a public option.
That was the only hope to reduce medical costs.
Why else do you think Insurance lobbyists spent so much money and time fighting it?

I'll give you a clue.
It wasn't to save you money!

Put into that questionaire how much are you willing to pay for it and your 70% number would drop like a rock.