Holding together the coalition called the Democrats

I am not sure if even the Onion could have offered a more satirical and comical development than what Senator Joe Lieberman is.

• The guy was a vice-presidential candidate of one party, and went on to lose the election (well, we won't get into the arguments on the (s)election);
• then a couple of years later fails to emerge as the party's candidate for his own Senate seat;
• then runs opposing the Democratic candidate and wins;
• and then caucuses with the Senate Democrats giving them the threadbare majority;
• then goes all out campaigning for the Republican candidate for the presidency while dissing his own party's candidate.
• And, yet, doesn't get kicked out of his powerful committee chairmanship.

To use Yakov Smirnoff's line, What a country!


Well, the progressive-left is already beginning to shed some of its infatuation for Obama. Not just because of Lieberman, whose continuation as the committee chair Obama supported. But, about his cabinet picks. In The Nation, its editor, Katrina vanden Heuvel, notes that

some interesting conversations and debates underway at thenation.com (see especially Chris Hayes at Capitolism, "Left Out") and in the progressive blogosphere (see Glenn Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Digby and David Sirota about why Obama has so few progressives among his cabinet picks.)

I agree with her: "It's worth checking them out"

Will be interesting to see how long the glue will hold all these competing interests together. I am guessing it won't be for long.