Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) approvals: In the tank.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT): Strip Lieberman of his committee chair.
End result: Lieberman keeps his committee chair. Senate Democrats don't have the cuts to pull the trigger -- even for the ideal option, which is giving him the chairmanship of another committee, where he is more amenable to Democratic policies.
I don't blame them though. I could never be in politics. I'm too nice and forgiving. I always want to give people another chance. Even to people who don't deserve it.
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3 comments:
I don't see what they really lose keeping Lieberman in a position they can strip him of *at any time*.
But they could lose his vote both for their Caucus and some other issues.
This is elementary cost-benefit analysis.
Joe,
you underestimate the difficulty of stripping a committee chair. Besides the procedural difficulties there is also the optics problem. When Lieberman starts his witch hunts directed at Obama he will be labeled as a watchdog or some such nonsense. then removing him makes him look like a martyr. Also, why reward a guy who campaigned against your side with such a plum position? put him on another committee or let him leave. His vote is not that important.
I agree that Lieberman should lose his committee position. Personally, I don't want the Dems to have 60 votes on their own; they need to have the moderating necessity of appealing to one or two senators who caucus with Republicans. And his rhetoric about how Obama didn't put country first was really troubling. Campaigning with McCain on the message that the war on terror is our biggest concern and McCain has the best strategy for it would have been acceptable -- I disapprove of blind party loyalty, and if Lieberman sincerely believes that the war is #1 and McCain was a better candidate for that reason, he should have said so loudly and often. However, I am skeptical that someone who would make attacks on Obama's character is someone we want heading the Homeland Security committee.
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