According to Harold Meyerson in today's Washington Post.
Well. I don't blog; I columnize. But count me with the bloggers on this one. No great mystery enshrouds the challenge to Lieberman, nor is the campaign of his challenger, Ned Lamont, a jihad of crazed nit-pickers. Lieberman has simply and rightly been caught up in the fundamental dynamics of Politics 2006, in which Democrats are doing their damnedest to unseat all the president's enablers in this year's elections. As well, Lieberman's broader politics are at odds with those of his fellow Northeastern Democrats. He is not being opposed because he doesn't reflect the views of his Democratic constituents 100 percent of the time. He is being opposed because he leads causes many of them find repugnant.
As early as December 2001 Lieberman signed a letter to President Bush asking him to make Saddam Hussein's Iraq our next stop in the war against terrorism. As recently as last month, he opposed two Democratic resolutions to scale back our involvement in the war. And just last week Lieberman characterized the progress of the war as "a lot better" than it was a year ago, adding, "They're on the way to building a free and independent Iraq."
So, why the surprise if Connecticut voters, listening to Lieberman and looking at his record, conclude that they cannot trust his judgment on the single most important issue of the day? That's not mandating purity; it's opting for a senator who pays more attention to the war on the ground than to the war in his head.
Meyerson's point, that supporters of the war in Iraq are in trouble all across the Northeast is really moot. The challenge to Lieberman is being driven primarily by out-of-state interests. A point which Meyerson glosses over and dismisses out of hand. It is highly unlikely that Lamont would have been able to mount anything like a successful challenge to Lieberman without that support, either. Lieberman remains, despite Lamont's best efforts, overwhelmingly popular in the state with the majority of voters.
The real problems will arise if the netroots succeed in knocking Lieberman off in the primary. Who then will be the next target. For there will be a target.
