It’s hard to keep up with the public quasi-negotiations over the fate of Joe Lieberman, but I was struck by this comment by Sen. Pat Leahy, as quoted by Jane down below:

I felt that some of the attacks that he was involved in against Senator Obama …. I thought they went way beyond the pale, that they were not fair, that they were not legitimate, that they perpetuated some of these horrible myths that were run about Senator Obama.

Think about it.  Holy Joe’s defenders have tried to grab the high moral ground against criticisms that Lieberman hasn’t been a loyal enough Democrat or might misuse his continued chairmanship of the Homeland Security commission by saying that ousting him would "hurt the message of bipartisanship and unity" that president-elect Barack Obama wants to send.

But that’s exactly the principle Lieberman violated with his insinuations that Obama consciously betrayed the best interests of the U.S. and American troops in Iraq for the sake of his political career.  And it’s that principle which Democrats should explicitly stand behind as they strip him of his power.

Here’s one way they can do it:  Currently, Lieberman’s allies in the Senate are suggesting that he apologize in order to retain his committee slot.   In calling that bluff, I’d love to hear some prominent Dems point out that what he needs to apologize for, specifically and publicly, is engaging in partisan and uncivil rhetoric that ought to be out of bounds in describing a political opponent, much less someone he now claims to be a loyal ally and supporter of.

Will the Senate’s most famous self-appointed patron saint of civility be able to admit this, or will his head explode first?  Granted, I’m okay if they skip the apology request and just say it’s why he’s no longer fit to lead a committee in a Democratic Congress.

Related posts:

  1. Lieberman for Anything
  2. Klein on How Lieberman Went Bad: It’s All Jane’s Fault
  3. Lieberman on Point for Senate DADT Repeal
  4. Dodd: Reprimanding Lieberman is “Ridiculous”
  5. Why Is Lieberman Scared of Big, Bad Rachel Maddow?