Despite a lot of angry ankle-chewing by the folks in the "netroots," the Senate Democratic caucus voted today to embrace Joe Lieberman as one of their own, letting him keep his principal committee chairmanship and a subcommittee chairmanship to boot. The vote (by secret ballot) was "overwhelming," according to Majority Leader Harry Reid (reportedly 42-13). Many of Senate's big gun Democrats spoke up for Joe, while (according to one report) only Vermont's Leahy and Sanders spoke against Joe.
No doubt, Reid and others were influenced to lay off Lieberman by President-elect Obama's clear message that he wanted unity, not vengeance. It would have been hard for Obama to meet one day with John McCain to stir up some aisle-crossing cooperation from Republicans, and the next, blithely ignore his party's visiting retribution on McCain's close chum.
In any event, Reid and company made the right choice. There are too many serious issues to take on in the next year or so without an instant reversion to bickering (that will come later, I'm sure). And it also shows that Reid can count to 60!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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