I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what the deal is with Lieberman. He's got to be one of the biggest weasels in the U.S. Senate. Harry Reid and Evan Bayh are right behind him. One thing that has been suggested was that keeping Lieberman provides cover for other moderate senators, such as Evan Bayh, who voted with Lieberman on the Iraq war and domestic surveillance issues.
But that's only half of the equation. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin was initially against Lieberman keeping his chairmanship. After Obama talked with him, he switched positions. For the past few days, I've been trying to figure out why Obama did this. Finally, I've come to a conclusion and, if I'm right, it might actually have been a very smart political move.
Obama met with Lindsey Graham and John Mccain earlier this week. Some sources suggest that Obama is planning to build a coalition of moderate Republicans so he's not completely dependent on Democratic congressional leadership. If that is true, then keeping Joe Lieberman isn't really about Joe Lieberman, but rather it is about forming an alliance with John Mccain and Graham.
Cenk Uygar of The Young Turks provides an excellent take on this as well.
Also, my thanks to people like Kos and Hunter for articulating the sentiments of all the progressives and liberals here.
In the end, the Lieberman fight isn't entirely about Lieberman. Yes, people want to see consequences doled out for the perennially back-stabbing Senator who formed his own political party when his own Democratic voters voted him out, who used his committee as a protectorate of the abuses of the Bush administration, and who -- for God's sake -- campaigned for McCain and Palin, even when their campaign reached its most rancid lows.
But more to the point, people in America want a change from the Bush years -- desperately. And they voted for it, delivering a thumping mandate for Obama. They want things to change, and that's why this minor battle has taken on so much meaning, and why people are so peeved: this was the first test of mettle, and it showed no mettle at all.