The decision to leave Joe Lieberman in the caucus with his chairmanship intact sure isn't popular. But it's the right thing to do, and it shows Obama's strength.
Joe Lieberman is a feckless tool and a coward. When dealing with a tool, the question is how best to use it. Obama made a smart choice, albeit one that goes against the orthodoxies of Republicans, Democrats, and the press.
The Republican orthodoxy is that Democrats are too chickens*** to kick Lieberman out of their caucus or strip him of his chairmanship. The Democratic orthodoxy is that Lieberman betrayed us, isn't really a Democrat, and so he should be stripped of his chairmanship. The press orthodoxy is that Lieberman is a maverick and an independent, someone who does what he thinks is right; if the Democrats boot him, it will be an act of revenge; if they keep him on board, it will be an act of bipartisanship and generosity.
All that as wrong. Obama's decision (and it was apparently his decision) had nothing to do with any of that.
Barack Obama wants to pass legislation. That's his priority. That's what he cares about. Specifically, he cares about passing legislation over the next two years, when his large majorities in both houses of Congress are still intact, and before the public has started to hold him responsible for any ongoing economic troubles. Two years. That's a lot of time, but there's a lot to get done.
The Democrats --- counting Leahy and Lieberman --- are close to having sixty votes in the Senate. In that environment, losing one vote on one issue can make a lasting difference in Obama's legacy, and in the lives of Americans in the coming years. It could mean the difference between real health reform or more of the same. It could mean the difference between a real energy policy or more of the same. It could mean the difference between universal pre-k and more of the same. The list goes on. It's a very long list.
Lieberman may be a feckless tool and a coward, but he's not utterly without a clue. He knows that he is on probation. He knows that there will be a new Senate in two years, and that the Democrats will have another chance to give him the boot at that time. He knows that the protection he's been afforded will last only so long as his patron (Obama) says it should last.
But can't Lieberman do a lot of damage in those two years? After all, his committee is Homeland Security and government oversight. Couldn't he harass an Obama administration in a way that he never harassed (or held accountable) George W. B's? That's a fear I've heard expressed by the netroots: it would be insanity to leave a traitor in that position. Once he starts issuing subpoenas, it's too late to strip him of his power.
This is where the decision reflects Obama's strength. He's not afraid of Lieberman, or his committee. First off, it will be some time before there would even be anything of Obama's for Lieberman to investigate. There won't have been that much of an Obama administration in time for Lieberman to do much damage investigating it. Moreover, Obama plans to run a clean shop. He's also shown that he's good at rising above attempts to throw dirt.
Plus, Lieberman is a feckless tool. Obama's not afraid of him and his investigations.
Now, let's daydream a little bit and think in the other direction. There's been a lot of talk about Democrats finally having a chance to investigate the Bushies and hold them accountable. Who could do that and be granted credibility in the eyes of the MSM? Not any Democrat in Congress. But Lieberman could. Sure, the MSM is stupid to grant him credibility in that scenario. But they would, because he is an "independent maverick."
This decision wasn't about punishments or rewards, or being weak, or rising above partisanship. It's purely about getting s*** done. Obama did it for the same reason he appointed Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff. He wants to get s*** done. He has a limited amount of time to do it in. He wants every vote he can get, and every chit he can call. He'd rather keep his enemies close and indebted to him than far away, freelancing on the Sunday talk shows, and abandoning him on that one key vote.
I don't much like it. I look forward to the wise people of Connecticut giving old Joe the boot in four years. But it was a smart move.
Update: In case it's not clear, I'm not giving Obama props for being quote/unquote bipartisan or post-partisan or anything-partisan. I think this is a case of realpolitik, described in wikipedia as, "policy ... based on considerations of power, not ideals, morals, or principles." In this case the fact that the optics play well with certain strands of the MSM is a bonus, but that's not the motivation, nor is reconciliation the motivation. It's passing legislation.