Dr. J.'s Commentary: What Makes Joe Lieberman Tick?

There was a very nice puff piece on the Senator from AIPAC, Joe Lieberman, in The New York Times recently. It didn't mention one odd fact about the McCain-Lieberman link. It is well known that when McCain picked up the endorsement of the party-less Sen. Joe Lieberman in December, McCain seemed to be totally out of it. But that's not what was odd. It was surmised in some quarters that Lieberman was angling for the Vice Presidential nod on a ticket headed by McCain. Unfortunately for Lieberman (perhaps poor Joe was unaware of the fact), McCain had previously declared that he did not regard non-Christians as qualified to govern (The Progress Report, "Blackout and Brownout," Oct. 1, 2007).

Lieberman, according to the McCain Doctrine on qualifications to govern would be disqualified from a cabinet post in a McCain Administration (heaven forefend) as well from holding elective office.

Oh gosh, I guess while he is riding around on the "Straight Talk Express," Gentleman Johnny should read up on the Constitution. Article VI does state, pretty straightforward, that "no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States." However, it seems that the fact that McCain has disqualified Lieberman for public office, but has not prevented him from frequently appearing with "his dear friend" at McCain campaign events.

But Joe's significance goes far beyond supporting a man who is ever so unlikely to win the Presidency (that is unless the Democratic nominee is one who can unite the Republican Party in a way that McCain seems to be having a hard time doing). This is what makes Joe tick: the fact that it is his vote that stands between the Democrats and being in the Minority in the Senate. This despite the fact that he disagrees with the Democrats on most major issues: peace in the Muslim Middle East, coming up with some reasonable solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict, joining "Bomb, bomb, bomb Eeer-rahn John" on something core Democrats totally oppose, supporting the Georgite policy of doing nothing serious to improve Homeland Security while frightening the beejesus out of the U.S. population at convenient times (ol' Joe is the Chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee -- ever hear of anything he's ever done to hold accountable what by all accounts is the worst-run, poorest functioning of all the badly run Federal Departments Bush has managed to run into the ground).

But Lieberman holds the balance of power in the Senate in his hot little hands. This is where his power comes from and he is the most important reason the Republican (we'll filibuster everything and anything you want to do just to make you look bad) minority has all of the authority in the Senate with none of the responsibility.

We were thrilled when Lieberman decided to vote with the Democrats to organize the Senate because we thought that they would then go on an investigations rampage. We knew there wouldn't be much in the way of legislation because of the Republican minority, filibuster, Bush and vetoes, and Signing Statements. But nothing much has happened on the investigation side either. Indeed, we have been entirely disappointed. Looking back, the Democrats would have been much better off if Lieberman had voted with the Republicans to organize the Senate. Then the Democrats would have been able to hold the Bush Regime and the Republican accountable, and maybe even use the filibuster themselves. Oh my, what a thought! But with Lieberman voting with folks with whom he has so many fundamental disagreements on policy, that scenario never happened. It causes one to wonder: did Lieberman just flip a coin one day, or was what happened the plan from the outset? Did this series of events that has made the Congress, with Democratic control of both Houses look so bad, actually the Lieberman-Georgite plan all along. Hey, it's unlikely that we will ever know.

Steven Jonas, MD, MPH is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University (NY), a weekly Contributing Author for the Web zine The Political Junkies.net; a Special Contributing Editor for Cyrano's Journal Online; and an invited contributor to the Web log The Daily Scare.

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