Welcoming Lieberman back into the fold

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Obama’s positions were apparently in tune with Lieberman’s and mainstream America’s in March of 2006, when a desperate Lieberman begged Obama to stick his neck out and help him get his party’s endorsement for another term in the U.S. Senate. Already a rising star in Democratic politics, Obama was turning down 200 speaking invitations a week, but he agreed to speak at the Connecticut Democrats’ annual Jefferson, Jackson, Bailey Dinner because his mentor and friend Joe Lieberman asked him.

Obama more than delivered, telling the party faithful, "I am absolutely certain Connecticut is going to have the good sense to send Joe Lieberman back to the U.S. Senate so he can continue to serve on our behalf." Obama was right, not about Connecticut’s good sense, but the part about sending Lieberman back to the Senate, which the state did, thanks to Republican voters. We’ve seen how a grateful Lieberman paid Obama back.

No one in the Connecticut Democratic Party today seems more willing to forgive and forget Lieberman’s transgressions than Sen. Chris Dodd, probably because he’ll need quite a bit of forgiving, himself, should he choose to run for a sixth term in 2010.

In 2006, when Lieberman lost a primary to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont, despite Obama’s efforts, Dodd endorsed Lamont as the party’s candidate in the general election, which Lieberman won. After Lieberman’s re-election, Dodd was among the first to welcome his junior colleague back to the party. But Lieberman chose to return to the Senate as an independent member of the Democratic Caucus, unwelcome at meetings when the war and presidential politics were discussed.

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And now, after Lieberman’s fling as a particularly nasty opponent of Obama, Dodd is eager for Lieberman’s rehabilitation and incredibly claims he’s doing it for us.

"Joe was elected by the people of this state — independents, Republicans and Democrats," Dodd told The Hartford Courant. "Whatever anger there may exist within a party, I don’t think that ought to be visited on the people of the state — and they shouldn’t be asked to pay a price for people’s political decisions."

I can’t imagine Connecticut voters paying a price if the Senate Democrats find a real Democratic senator to chair the Homeland Security Committee. After all, Lieberman hasn’t done much for Connecticut since the century began as he ran for vice president in 2000, campaigned to make himself president in 2004 and then supported McCain in 2008.

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Nor is it clear what voters Dodd is worried about, as a recent poll determined only 23 percent of Connecticut Democrats and 37 percent of the state’s independents view Lieberman favorably and would presumably be distressed by any difficulties he may have with the Democratic Party. Sixty-one percent of Connecticut Republicans, on the other hand, think the world of him.

Dodd also indicated welcoming Lieberman back to the party would be consistent with President-elect Obama’s view of reconciliation, healing and bringing people together in a bipartisan fashion and even that could happen by the time you read this.

Obama is said to take his inspiration from presidents like John Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt. But history tells us FDR was not known for his forgiving nature when crossed and was taken with the idea of realigning the parties by integrating moderate Republicans into a Roosevelt Democratic Party and letting the Republicans have the reactionary southern Democrats.

And, of course, one of the oft-quoted Kennedy family mottos was, "Don’t get mad, get even."