The Wonders of Joementum

We already know that Joe Lieberman is a political ingrate, but what I find notable about the commentary on Lieberman’s new role as McCain’s personal lackey (rather than his old role of indistinguishable militarist colleague) is how it neglects to mention how especially tacky Lieberman’s criticism of Obama is.  As Obama fans and Lieberman would like to forget, Obama was one of a relative few sitting Senators who endorsed Lieberman in the Connecticut Senate primary in 2006, which he said he had done out of friendship and personal loyalty.  If you wanted to cast yourself as the true antiwar Democrat in a future campaign, this was not the thing to do back then.  How has Lieberman chosen to repay that very unpopular show of loyalty?  By trotting out Hamas’ “endorsement” of Obama as evidence that “suggests” a “difference” between the two candidates.  It was nice of him to mention that Obama did not share Hamas’ values!   

What is remarkable about this is how willing the supposed partisans of “strength” and “resolve” are to get down in the muck and treat the statements of terrorist groups about our election process as significant, as if they deserved anything but disdain.  Lieberman here is playing up the comments from a terrorist group as if these were politically relevant in the election of an American President.  Lieberman probably sees Hamas as an enemy of the United States, so he has chosen to give credibility to a group he regards as an enemy and he is trying to use them to influence our elections.