The more I think about it, the meaning of the Lieberman challenge does boil down to a single issue: Bush.
George W. Bush's illegal and catastrophic Iraq War, Bush's suppression of our civil liberties and rights, Bush's economic agenda including Social Security privatization, Bush's wingnut appointees, Bush's cronyism. Joe Lieberman has abetted, in one way or another, all these prongs of the Bush agenda, all these organic features of the incredibly despicable and criminal Bush administration.
Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush Bush BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH BUSH.
BUSH.
Joe Lieberman does well to claim "I am not George Bush," because he knows that this is precisely the all-encompassing issue that Connecticut (and all Democratic) voters have with him. Bush stands for the most undemocratic, the least responsible, the most dangerous, and the least competent, the most lawless, and the least Constitutional regime in American history, and Lieberman enables this crime wave, all of it, including all the crimes not yet committed but which will be committed by this administration.