TW: Have avoided getting too hung up in the Lieberman situation or the Hillary Sec. State thing. But thought I would put up a quick one re Lieberman, this Time story captures my feelings. Fundamentally if Obama wants him in, then I give Obama the benefit of the doubt. This is not the time for retribution that will hopefully come in 2010 when Lieberman either retires or is defeated by a strong Dem. There are worse "Dems" in the Senate than Lieberman.
From Time:
"...Obama wasn't just acting out of bipartisan good will. In supporting Lieberman's continued inclusion in the Democratic caucus, he may have effectively defanged his toughest potential opponent in the Senate Democratic caucus...and now [Lieberman] owes Obama a big one. His job over the next few years, for the first time in his long political career, is to keep quiet.
The move is especially savvy because Obama — and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — know that in order to achieve virtually anything on the Democrats' long list of ambitious legislation they will need every vote they can possibly get in the Senate. Obama's biggest challenge in both chambers of Congress will be keeping the varying factions of his own party together, especially more liberal members and the more conservative so-called Blue Dog Democrats. To that end Lieberman can be an asset, especially in helping to convince his fellow moderate members in the so-called Gang of 14, including some Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham. "We need every person that we can in Congress working constructively to move forward with the new agenda for our country," says Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat. "Look, we're the majority party, we have the responsibility to act, and we've got to bring in the broadest possible coalition in order to get that done, and Senator Lieberman can be a very valuable member of our team."
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1860396,00.html
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