Today's "In the Loop"
column brings back the
beautiful Lieberman-Bush tonsil hockey just in time for Valentines Day, speculating that The Kiss is more than just thanks for Lieberman's beyond-the-call-of-duty habit of kissing the President's Ass. Washington rumor has it that Lieberman will replace Rumsfeld before the indignity of having to run for reelection with the blood of ten thousand American soldiers on his hands.
Or maybe it was something else. There's been K Street chatter, our colleague
Jeffrey H. Birnbaum tells us, that Lieberman could be on an administration list to replace Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld in the next year or so.
That would be convenient for Lieberman, whose term is up in 2006, and could give Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) an opportunity to appoint a Republican to the seat for at least a few months before the election, inching the GOP closer to a filibuster-proof Senate.
Oh great: do the Republican Party one little extra favor on the way to the Bush cabinet. Thanks, Joe.
I personally think it's unlikely that Donald Rumsfeld is going anywhere, but I was nonetheless overjoyed to see this. Why? Because there have been repeated rumors that Joe Lieberman is joining the Bush cabinet. I for one spoke to someone who works for him who said he wanted Homeland Security. This is all ammunition in the primary campaign against Lieberman. As I've said in a previous diary, I think the primary vote on which he could expect to draw would fall away quickly. Connecticut Democrats don't want a Bush stooge.
POINTLESS ADDENDUM
The Washington Post column linked above also speculates as to the future of John Taylor, Under-Secretary of the Treasury for International Finance (or some such title). For the record: so-called 'Taylor Rules' are the biggest load of quasi-economic bullshit since "Rules Rather Than Discretion". A Taylor rule basically says that monetary policy should be made by taking into account 1. the previous interest rate and 2. everything else. Great contribution there, bro.