Joe Lieberman used up another one of his political lives, after Senate Democrats
voted today to let him keep his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee. The 2004 Democratic VP nominee, turned defeated primary candidate, turned independent senator
delivered some hard punches against Barack Obama during the presidential campaign, on behalf of his Republican friend John McCain.
Instead of truly punishing Lieberman by
stripping him of the crucial post, the Democratic caucus, including newly elected senators, voted to remove him from chair of the less-important Environmental Public Works Committee, a symbolic gesture.
Senator Joe Lieberman is a Democrat-turned-Independent who
supported Republican John McCain for president. He caused an upset among Democrats during the campaign when he attacked Obama and met with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid this week to discuss his role in the Democratic caucus, leaving many to wonder if Dems will capitalize on his bipartisanship or remain bitter about his choice of endorsement.
The senator didn't say exactly what he and Reid talked about after the meeting, but according to
CNN said:
"The election is over, and I completely agree with President-elect [Barack] Obama that we must now unite to get our economy going again and to keep the American people safe.
Independent Senator Joe Lieberman
will speak at the Republican National Convention, where Lieberman's former rivals will nominate his good friend John McCain for president. And an even juicier rumor is floating around: the real Lieberman surprise might come as a slot on the ticket, not merely as a speaking slot at the convention. John McCain is
seriously considering Joe Lieberman as his vice-presidential nominee.
Sen. Joe Lieberman (Democratic-caucusing, I-CT) hasn't made any secret of
his support for John McCain, and now he's toying with the idea of being the political equivalent of his best man, standing up and giving a speech for McCain at the Republican Convention in September. On Fox News Sunday, Lieberman
said: I want to help him.
The ghosts of presidential elections past are coming out of the dark to go back and forth about John McCain's latest quote on Iraq. Let's check out the exchange.
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On the Today show Matt Lauer asked McCain if he had a better estimate of when the troops will come home.
Gen. Petraeus faced big questions (and several protests) on Capitol Hill today, with Senate hearings stretching all day. It was a real marathon of inquiry.
Politicians used to avoid admitting to past drug use at all costs. In 1992, Bill Clinton infamously hedged that although he tried marijuana, he did not inhale. Yet in 2000,
George W.
