This diary isn't an attempt to persuade anyone to change their minds about Barbara Boxer campaigning for Joe Lieberman.  I know we've all got pretty strong feelings about it.  However, I do want to talk about the knee-jerk reaction by some fellow community members who want to completely disown Senator Boxer because they disagree with her on this issue.  

First, I'd just ask people to put themselves in her shoes just for a moment.  If any of us had a colleague who we'd been working with for more than 14 years, who asked us for our help, I think we'd be hard-pressed to say no -- especially if we'd worked together on a few issues that we were both very passionate about.  Even if we had a serious disagreement about something, I think many of us would decide to make the same hard decision that Senator Boxer did and support our friend and colleague -- despite the political backlash.

More on the flip.