Lieberman posturing

A TPM reader and David Kurtz explain why Lieberman is unlikely to switch parties. Primarily, it boils down to not wanting to be in the minority. It looks now as though the Senate is likely to remain in Democratic hands after the 2008 election. By remaining a Democrat, Lieberman not only gets to keep his seniority, thus giving him a committee chairmanship he would not have as a Republican, but gets to remain in the majority party after 2008.

I guess I buy this argument. If he were to switch, he'd go back to being a junior senator ultimately in the minority party. Lieberman is too full of himself to do that. What he's trying to do now is maximize his power by holding out the threat to switch without actually switching. Democrats, fearing a switch if they don't coddle him, will coddle him.

Unfortunately, he may do as much harm, maybe more, as a Democrat than he would as a Republican.