It seems that Joe Lieberman is the only Democratic Presidential hopeful with the guts to praise his potential opponent, and that's going to cost him the nomination.

Many of the nine Democrats vying for the chance to lose to President Bush next fall had statements to make regarding his risky, morale-boosting trip Thursday, followed by the typical Bush-bashing remarks. On Thanksgiving Day, Bush evaded his own security and snuck out of the country to visit some of the troops stationed in Iraq on Thanksgiving, thank them, and serve them dinner with his own hands.  Hillary Clinton, in between photo ops with soldiers that made me wonder who looked stiffer and more uncomfortable -- her or the troops -- followed her own faint praise with the usual pointed barbs. She was probably miffed that the only press her own jaunt got was from pundits pointing out how badly she'd been "upstaged". 

Like Hillary, few Democrats could bring themselves to say a single word of praise for the President without turning it into a chance to attack him.

"It's nice that he made it over there today, but this visit won't change the fact that those brave men and women should never have been fighting in Iraq in the first place," said Jay Carson, a Howard Dean spokesman.  John Kerry issued a statement saying that the trip was "the right thing to do for our country." But, of course, he added: "When Thanksgiving is over, I hope the president will take the time to correct his failed policy in Iraq that has placed our soldiers in a shooting gallery."  David Axelrod, speaking for John Edwards, described the visit as a "daring move and great politics," then added, "I think these kids need more. I'm sure they were buoyed by his coming, but they need more."  Wesley Clark, praised President Bush for the trip, then said, "But I'll tell you this... a visit, a photo op, or whatever it was to Baghdad, does not make up for a failed strategy," on CNN's "Late Edition".  Dick Gephardt, perhaps the wisest of the bunch, simply declined to comment on Bush's trip.

Only Joe Lieberman stood out of the crowd by his unalloyed praise for the President's Thanksgiving visit to the troops. "I don't have anything political or partisan to say about it," he said. "There are days when you have to say, we're not Republicans, we're not Democrats. We are Americans." That attitude will prevent Lieberman from ever gaining the nomination he seeks. These days, the Democrats are fueled by two things: hatred for President Bush, and hatred for everything President Bush says or does.