Bu-bye

Karl? Karl? I'm over here ... help?

In a stark repudiation, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) narrowly lost the Democratic Senate primary here Tuesday night, falling to antiwar candidate Ned Lamont in a campaign that became a referendum on the incumbent's support for the Iraq war.

I'm afraid WaPo is overstating Lieberman's defeat here; the repudiation wasn't near stark enough. And after trailing early by 56% to 44%, Lieberman recovered somewhat to finish the evening only 4 points back, 52% to 48%. And Dems in Connecticut ought to be ashamed of themselves with a 40% turnout, which, even more embarrassingly, is a record. This at a time when the world is aflame under the policies of the Bush administration. They hardly deserve the name "Democrats" with this performance.

But Lieberman has learned his GOP talking points well. Even with his own party clearly tired of his "centrist" mincing, i.e., accomodating a pro-corporate, war-mongering administration that Democrats and much of the country have grown enormously weary of, Lieberman had this to say about the primary campaign and its result:

I'm disappointed not just because I lost but because the old politics of partisan polarization won today. For the sake of our state, our country and my party, I cannot and will not let that result stand.

The nerve of those damnable Democrat voters actually demanding that their elected representative act like a Democrat. This insidious partisanship by voters of his party is simply beyond the pale.

It certainly won't surprise me to see the GOP rushing to Lieberman's aid this fall, albeit with the astroturfy, third party subterfuge of which the Republican machine is a master, and we can further expect that Lieberman will have no qualms about accepting the aid of his pally senate-mates. This will have two effects: it will marginalized Lamont in November and could turn a normally certain Dem seat in the senate into a serious contest, though that will depend on how serious a chance the GOP thinks it has with Lieberman in the race. Or the GOP could just back Lieberman directly. He votes they way they want, so why bother offering up some Republican no-name when Joe will do the bidding just as well?

Liberman's pursuit of the seat as an independent simply illustrates what a complete dick Lieberman is in pursuing what he clearly believes is his ordained position in the Senate. But then, Lieberman has always been about Lieberman, something he disgracefully displayed in the 2000 campaign when he refused to open his senate seat while supposedly campaigning with Gore on the presidential ticket. Such a selfish performance indicated to many a self-fulfilling prophesy, as he routinely bad-mouthed his own presidential nominee during the campaign. Frankly, actual Democrats ought to be happy to see him go.

Don't go away mad, Joe. Just go away. Or join the GOP. Because you haven't fooled anyone. You've practically been one anyway.