Greg, is it fair to ask if you put up this post because you've been getting signals from people who really know what's going on?

I'll say it again. How can you have someone you cannot trust chairing a security committee?

I thought it was the VP's job to run the Senate.

I don't think Lieberman should keep his Chairmanship. He chose his party, he chose the Republicans. As to the caucus, I don't know why he would want to stay in the Democratic caucus if he believes in the Republicans policies enough to campaign for them. I don't trust him anymore, that's all I know.

Typical Lieberman tactic--obfuscation.

He shouldn't retain this committee's chair. With whom he chooses to caucus is up to him.

There isn't anything bad that can be said about Lieberman that hasn't been said.

If he stays, he stays. There's nothing we can do besides what we've done.

Lieberman can caucus with the Dems or go sit in the rain. He can't keep changing parties every election and then campaign for the other side.

His chairmanships are toast. We voted for change.

Lieberman betrayed the Democratic party, but kicking him out might waste a valuable resource.

If Obama accepts him, Lieberman will become a symbol of a new politics that doesn't depend on party, and the best person to hire is a former enemy who has to work doubly hard to prove their loyalty.

Do you think this would be a good idea, or once a traitor, always a traitor?

Two quick points: First, neither the original story in the Huffington Post nor the later follow-ups elsewhere were sourced to a specific person speaking on Obama’s behalf. Admittedly, the Huffington Post is a sort of semi-official part of the Obama campaign but still we are simply left with somebody saying what Obama wants based on “signals”. Neither TPM nor the Huffington Post provided any information about how their source(s) knew what Obama wanted. Did the source know this fact because he was present when Obama said to let Liberman keep his chairmanship? Or did he “know” this because he received signals from Obama in much the same way that John Hinckley, Jr received signals from Jodie Foster?

I did not support him in the primaries but I think we should let Obama speak for himself.

Second, regarding the allegation that Bill Clinton has been making phone calls urging that Liberman be permitted to keep his chairmanship. I have a problem with your sourcing on this story, too. This story is sourced only to “a high-level senate Democratic source” and there is apparently no confirmation by a second source. On the other hand, the Huffington Post story on Obama’s support for Liberman has this update: “Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo writes that Bill Clinton has also been ‘making calls on Sen. Lieberman's behalf,’ something that the Huffington Post later heard from another Hill source. But Matt McKenna, a spokesman for the former president, vehemently denies the report. “It's completely false, he says.” (Emphasis added). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/10/obama-wants-lieberman-to_n_142731.html

It seems to me that if Josh Marshall is planning on running a journalistic enterprise (as opposed to a rag like Drudge’s), he needs to either rely on named sources or else he should have more than a single anonymous source for something like this.

Plus, I see no reason for the quote to be anonymous. Many newspapers print their rationale for granting anonymity, but there was no such explanation provided by Josh Marshall. If blogs want to have the same credibility as the traditional media, they need to have much higher standards, especially when a spokesperson has denied the accusation. This is the sort of crappy thing Drudge would do. I expected better from TPM.

Maybe someone needs to email every member of the Democratic caucus a copy of the transcript of Michael Brown's confirmation hearing. Here's an excerpt:

Senator Campbell. Mr. Chairman, I cannot state firmly enough that I believe Michael Brown to be more than qualified to serve FEMA and the people of this country as part of the administration. He is dedicated, tenacious, and he is exactly the type of individual who has given up probably a better lifestyle to be in public service and we certainly appreciate all of that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman Lieberman. We can certify to that final statement---- And everything else you said, too. Thanks, Senator Campbell.

KOS, re: Clinton calls for Mentum

Democrats are like battered spouses.

Nobody hates Joementum worse than I, but I really couldn't give a shit about any of this. On the list of priorities for the President Elect, this scrapes the bottom.

Lieberman is a harmless loser. He's been depanted and defanged and I don't want the President Elect wasting five minutes of his time worrying about Lieberman.

And as anyone who's watched him knows, he won't.

Obama may be merely waiting for the appropriate political time. Certainly axing Joe the Traitor now would be counter-productive: he'd just bolt to the GOP, handing them the Senate.

But come January 4, when the new Congress convenes, well, a caucus vote then might not be so accommodating to old Joe.

Nevertheless, keeping all the traitorous stuff Joe said and documenting how he campaigned not only for McCain but for down ticket Republicans freshly available and frequently refreshed would probably be a good idea. Video of Joe sitting there smiling as Saint Sarah spewed hatred and lies about Obama should be included.

Why is this even being discussed?

I voted for change. Tolerating this moron is not change. He is part of the old way of doing politics, and I'm sick of him.

Boot him out, and do everything necessary to get another Dem voted into his office.

Once, long ago, I had a science project on the living cycle of mosquitos. Starting early, I collected a jar of squiggly larve in water.

A week later, with my poster and paper done, I was ready to present my project in the morning at my school fair. But ... my larve water had grown cloudy. No problem. I knew where to find more.

So I dumped out my jar and took it, now empty, to where I had last seen a small wooden tub on a neighbors property filled with rainwater and more larve.

But when I got there, the tub was ... dry. Oh, shit. Suddenly, I had no larve to present with my 5th grade project. Total bummer - not to mention an F.

I learned from that. And, here it is:

Never throw out what you have until you are secure in its replacement.

Perhaps this is what Obama is thinking about Joe. We may still need Joe. After all, we still don't know the final count for the senate. Possibly 59?

Not knowing this answer and being pragmatic, Obama no doubt would consider the goal. In this case it might be: Throw Joe out now and we could end up with no larve for a Dem fillibuster. Or, something like that.