The interview has its (inadvertently) hilarious parts, like when Lieberman calls Beltway hack Ron Fournier “a really fine reporter.” But it’s mostly a maddening reminder of the egomaniacal former senator’s noxious role in American politics, not least when he assisted erstwhile foes George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in advancing a destructive foreign policy agenda as one of the leading cheerleaders for the Iraq War.

Recalling an encounter with Bush immediately after his 2001 inauguration, Lieberman remembers telling the new president he hoped they could work together.

“He said, with that Bush look, ‘I think we’re gonna find some ways.’ Now little did I know how much,” Lieberman says, as he and Kristol break into guffaws.

“His presidency,” Lieberman continues, “is going to be viewed generally more positively than it was when he left office.”

Ah, yes — in retrospect, 500,000 Iraqi deaths, regional instability and the rise of the Islamic State militant group, and the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression really won’t look so bad.

While Lieberman has warm words for Bush, he’s decidedly harsh when assessing Bush’s successor. Contrasting President Obama with Bill Clinton, Lieberman says, “The contrast with President Obama, unfortunately – Obama is very smart, ideas, but has not worked the Congress very well. And even those who are loyal to him don’t see him, don’t talk to him very much.”