Joe Lieberman, jerk extraordinaire

By Michael J.W. Stickings

TPM's Greg Sargent:

Now that Joe Lieberman has emerged as John McCain's lead attack dog against Barack Obama -- even going so far as to suggest that Obama's judgment could pose a danger to our safety -- there's some very interesting behind-the-scenes back-story to the Lieberman-Obama relationship that you should know about.

Specifically, a top official on Joe Lieberman's 2006 Senate reelection campaign tells me that Lieberman's staff practically begged Barack Obama to come in and endorse him at a critical moment -- requests that Obama agreed to, helping Lieberman minimize the damage from challenger Ned Lamont's recent entry into the contest.

Two questions:

1) How much do you think Obama regrets coming out for Lieberman over Lamont in '06? (Perhaps it was poor judgment on Obama's part, but I commend him for sticking with a (presumed) friend through tough times.)

2) How much of a jerk is Lieberman? (Answer: Even more of one that we thought. And we already thought he was a rather superlative one.)

Aravosis: "Joe Lieberman isn't a nice guy. He's a bitter old Washington politician who begged a friend for help, got it, then turned around two years later and stabbed that friend in the back. Joe Lieberman isn't crossing party lines to show how he puts principle above party. He's crossing party lines because today it's the move that pays him the most benefit. That doesn't make him principled, it makes him a whore."

Indeed.