One thing I've thought about recently is how twisted a notion Lieberman and his supporters have of what it means to be "principled." That Joe is "principled" is the refrain we hear from them regarding his stand on Iraq.
But a thoughtful look at the meaning of being principled and Joe's actions tell a different story: Joe is unprincipled in at least one critical way and no more principled than others in other matters.
More below the jump.
First, what does "principled" mean? Dictionary.com defines it as follows:
based on or manifesting objectively defined standards of rightness or morality; "principled pragmatism and unprincipled expediency"; "a principled person"
Merriam-Webster Online defines "principled" only in reference to the root word "principle," for which it provides several definitions including what I think is the relevant one:
habitual devotion to right principles; "a man of principle"
But in addition to these dictionary definitions, there also is a misunderstood common usage of the term "principled": that it applies only when one holds an unpopular opinion. That is, if one's opinion happens to be the majority, it somehow is less principled than a minority opinion. This misunderstood common usage itself is a twisted notion that is nothing more than a self-serving political definition, not a legitimate notion of what "principled" means. This usage is twisted because the dictionary definitions above apply to anyone who is true to their own convictions, even if those convictions ARE shared by a majority. Notice those dictionary definitions do not include any notion that one's opinion must be unpopular or in the minority in order for one to be "principled."
That background provided, is Joe's position on the war in Iraq any more "principled" than that of we who oppose the war? That, of course, is a rhetorical question: the answer is no. Our opposition fits the above definitions of being "principled" as much as Joe's support.
Further, let's return to my point above about the usage of the term "principled" as a self-serving political tool. As noted, the very notion of the term applying somehow only to a minority or unpopular view itself is self-serving politicization rather than an accurate use of the term, and Joe's and his supporters usage of it is just that. Reinforcing this, let's look back at early 2003, when polls showed a majority of Americans supported war in Iraq: did Joe, his supporters, or other Iraq war proponents call us "principled" when our opposition was, in fact, the minority view in America? Again, that's rhetorical: the answer is NO.
So, "principled" is something Joe's proponents call him only as political rhetoric, not as an accurate characterization that in any way distinguishes him from Lamont or others who oppose his position on Iraq.
So what is the action item out of this? Simple: point out Iraq war opponents are equally principled as Joe, that the fact his position NOW is unpopular does NOT make him any more principled than others. And please note this reality of what it means to be principled applies equally to other positions: the Alito confirmation; the availability of emergency contraception at all hospitals; etc.
Finally, as noted above, in one critical way Joe is completely UNprincipled: he insists he is a Democrat but refuses to yield to the will of Democratic voters. The principled thing for Joe to do in running for reelection is either of two things: (1) abandon the Democratic Party immediately and run only as an independent; or (2) support whatever decision Democratic primary voters make by stepping down if he loses.
I still feel that Joe's runaway ego, accompanying hubris, and lack of principle for spitting in the face of Democratic primary voters has not been pushed hard enough as an issue. It's something that the non-Democratic public and media belittle simply because they're not Democrats. But this is a Democratic primary, and Democratic primary voters care. Admittedly, the media has begun to pick up the "hubris" narrative a little more, and maybe the timing is just right with the primary just 6 days away. But Lamont supporters could hit this even harder.