Joe Lieberman at the Republican Convention

Joe Lieberman will speak at the Republican Convention.  As Huffington Post points out, what a difference eight years make.  Eight years ago, Joe Lieberman was the vice-presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.  Since then, he’s been defeated in a Democratic primary for senator from Connecticut, won re-election to the Senate as an independent, caucused with the Democrats in the Senate helping them to keep a majority, has campaigned for John McCain, and has undercut the Democratic nominee at every possible moment.  He’s been the surrogate that McCain has counted on most, and now he’s getting his reward.  (I still think he could be the Republican vice-presidential nominee.)

Where is Harry Reid’s comment on this?  People have been saying for months that there is no way Lieberman deserves a plum committee chairmanship and a seat in the Democratic caucus.  He’s doing this for two reasons: because he believes in McCain (I have no problem believing that his support of McCain is sincere) and because he can (he knows there is no way Reid will kick him out of the caucus until after the election).  Lieberman needs to understand that it’s fine for him to make choices in his political career, but that there may be some consequences for those choices.  There should be consequences.  Lieberman is a Republican in all but name.  He should head over to that side of the aisle and formally turn his coat.