Just In: Lamont Made It

Jane Hamsher just reported that Ned Lamont forced a primary against Bush's favorite Democrat pet Joe Lieberman.

It's time Joe's held accountable for his shameless pandering to the right.

Centrism isn't a virtue in today's political environment when the Republicans continually show their willingness to stab opponents in the back.

These guys aren't interested in compromise or bipartisanship, and if Joe would rather embrace the pummeling than defend us, he should get out of the way.

Better yet, we should push him out of the way and let a real Democrat take his place.

Help Ned Lamont here.

Update:

Matt Stoller of MyDD reports that "Lieberman supporters aren't even dejected, they are bored".

Atrios explains why Joe should go:

It'll be impossible to kill the news narrative that the Lamont/Lieberman showdown is all about the Iraq war. It's certainly that, in part, but it's much much more than that.

I don't think George Bush wants to get out of Iraq, which is why when Lieberman says things like:

It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander-in-chief for three more critical years, and that, in matters of war, we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril.

I get a little annoyed. We need leadership on Iraq. The president isn't providing it. Lieberman isn't providing it. He says we should focus on what we should do, but he doesn't offer any answers. He's not angry about Iraq? ...Nothing to be angry about? You'd have to lack even a speck of humanity to not be angry about this war especially if you supported the damn thing.

But unlike the myopic New York Times, it's more than just Joe's support for the war. Digby nails it:

There was a time when a vital center coalition existed in the Senate, where there was room on both sides for trading votes across party lines. The Republicans destroyed that coalition and Liebermann, inexplicably, doesn't seem to get that. Even worse, when the shit comes down, he inevitably sides with them. Many Democrats took a long time to learn the harsh lessons of GOP political hardball and had to lose to a bunch of thuggish right-wingers before they began to recognise what they were up against. Lieberman still refuses to accept the fact that his high minded centrism is a weapon in the hands of the radical Republicans.

[...]

We are making a lot of noise because assholes like (DLC's) Al From have allowed the Republicans to turn liberalism into a bucket of warm spit --- and put the government entirely in the hands of the far right. It's not about the war. That's just the most visible example. It's about having no standards, no loyalty, no principles --- and losing because of it!

Image from nedlamont.com

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