Lieberman Leaning Further Republican

Political Insider‘s Alec Oveis:

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D/I-CT) told CongressDaily that he will support Sen. Susan Collins’s (R-ME) re-election bid in 2008, “even though Democrats have already targeted her seat to try to keep control of the Senate.”

“Lieberman also reserved the option of endorsing a Republican for president in 2008 and repeated statements that he has not ruled out a future — albeit unlikely — switch to the Republican Party.”

This has moved beyond the point of farce. Lieberman has cut ties with the Democrats–who cut ties with him in the primary, after all–but continues to pretend that he’s an “Independent Democrat.”

He should resign his seat and run for re-election as a Republican in 2008. Indeed, I suspect Jodi Rell could be talked into appointing Lieberman to fill the seat created by the Lieberman resignation.

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James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Zelsdorf Ragshaft III says:

    Question. Did the Republican Senator who switched party’s after he was elected as a republican step down and run for re-election as a democrat? I think you will find that Lieberman won on the backs of independents and republicans.

  2. Lieberman will never be a Republican. I love the guy, but he knows where the politics is. He wants to represent CT. He’ll never switch.

  3. James Joyner says:

    ZR: No, but he was roundly criticized for turning on the party under whose banner he was re-elected only months earlier. There’s no requirement to resign before switching parties but it’s the honorable thing to do.

  4. Andy says:

    There’s no requirement to resign before switching parties but it’s the honorable thing to do.

    Exactly why Lieberman won’t ever do it.

  5. Steve Plunk says:

    Why is this farce? Why should Lieberman resign? The voters of his state knew exactly who he was, who he is and who he will be, there is no deception here. For gosh sakes he ran as an Independent after the Dems rejected him.

    His honor comes not from party loyalty but from loyalty to those who elected him. It would make more sense for my senator, Gordon Smith, to resign because he has violated the trust of the Oregonians who put him in office.