Harry Reid, Thy Name Is Wimp

I'd have killed Joe Lieberman with a dull knife in a public forum. I'd have left his head on pike for all to see, and contemplate the meaning of duplicity.

Senate Democrats, on the other hand, forgive and forget. Lieberman will remain chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

While Lieberman's entitled to believe whatever he wants, he's not entitled to speak at the other party's convention, campaign for the other party's candidate, insinuate terrible things about the candidate of his own party, and keep his stature within the party.

President-elect Obama shouldn't have been reasonable and Majority Leader Harry Reid should have told Lieberman to pack up his committee chair gavel and find someplace new to sit. I'd have done it even if it meant losing a 60 vote, filibuster-proof majority, because no party comfortable with the exercise of power should be able to tolerate the kind of disloyalty Lieberman displayed. This is a craven act of cowardice designed entirely to preserve comity that doesn't exist and hoard power that Democrats have demonstrated themselves to be unworthy of wielding.

Reid's lack of leadership showed when he allowed Republicans to filibuster legislation without actually having to stage a filibuster. Now he's exacting no vengeance on Lieberman, who has worked to protect the Republican Administration from accountability while campaigning to destroy the Democratic candidate for the Presidency.

Uneasy rests the head who wears the crown. If I were an ambitious Senator, I'd start plotting Reid's overthrow. After all, he's demonstrated that he's a man of no hard feelings, even when a coup fails.

Comments

[Steve]

Because after all, doing what is right for the party is MUCH more important than doing what is right for the country.

I know you don't really believe that Tom.

[Tom]

I also didn't say that, Steve. I said that party disloyalty should mean the sacrifice of party position. Chairmanships of committees are the way the party exerts its majority status. He has demonstrated himself untrustworthy and should pay a price.

One can well imagine what, for example, Mitch McConnell would do to a Republican senator who campaigned for a Democrat, spoke at the Democratic National Convention, and campaigned not just for the Democratic Presidential candidate but also for Democratic Senate candidates. When returning to the Republican fold, it is unlikely that he or she would be welcomed so warmly as Lieberman has.

And McConnell would be right. This is a party, not a national, function.

[Trop]

I have mixed feelings on Lieberman and the appropriate response to his duplicity.

I've never been impressed with Harry Reid. He's forever putting his foot in his mouth. Leadership is something the democrats seem incapable of. And they are TOTALLY lacking a spine.

[Adam]

Republicans don't seem to want to actually force Dems to filibuster, either. Whatever happened to that?

[Pursuit]

I don't know about you, but I'm comforted by the thought that these pussies are in charge of national security

[Lee]

Tom, I don't think your problem is with Reid, or at least not Reid alone, but with the 42 Senate Dems who voted to keep him on.

Only 12 voted for expulsion during their secret vote on the issue.

Of course, if they had used a card check system instead, we would now know which Dem Senators voted which way. (Couldn't resist.)