Muddying the waters for Lieberman

Sargent:

Barack Obama is reportedly sending signals that he wants Joe Lieberman to stay in the Dem caucus.

But let's not get distracted. The question isn't whether Lieberman gets to "stay in the Dem caucus" if he wants to. That's what Lieberman wants you to think the question on the table is. Rather, the issue is, will Dems let Lieberman keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee?

The Lieberman camp has worked very hard to muddy the waters here. Lieberman aides have tried to persuade people that a vote to oust him from the committee is indistinguishable from a vote to oust him from the Dem caucus overall.

Don't believe it. Reid's people have made the situation very clear: The question of whether Lieberman remains in the caucus is up to him. He can vote how he wants, no matter what happens to his committee assignments.

But Lieberman's allies are using the Obama camp's claims that he wants Lieberman to stay "in the caucus" as a way of arguing against a punitive action against him that would entail stripping him of his current committee chairmanship."

So the question for the Obama camp is, Do they really countenance Lieberman, a colossal failure at this gig, to stay as Homeland Security chair? A lot is riding on the specific messages that come from Obama's camp on this question, and it's fair to ask for a specific answer.

No doubt.

Update: To be extra clear, here's the question Obama or his team needs to answer:

Are you ok with Lieberman retaining his chairmanship in the Homeland & Government Affairs Reform committee?

If Obama is "sending signals" to other Senators on this issue, and if he really plans on running the most open administration in history, then he needs to quit with the covert messages. Say so openly. He's either FOR Lieberman keeping that committee, or he's against it, or he doesn't care. But he needs to speak up or let the Senate handle the matter on its own.