Joe and the Democrats

Joe and the Democrats

Here's a heartwarming yarn of forgiving and forgetting, senatorial style.

When Democrats gathered last week to decide the fate of that traitor, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), two senators-elect, Tom Udall of New Mexico and Jeff Merkley of Oregon, stepped up to offer symbolically important speeches.

Channeling President-elect Barack Obama's emphasis on reconciliation and moving on from the bitter campaign, they spoke out in favor of charity for Lieberman, who stood to lose his committee chairmanship for his indefatigable support of the presidential campaign of GOP Sen. John McCain, punctuated by his speech at the Republican National Convention, where he said Obama was not prepared to be president.

He also supported Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) in his cliffhanger race against Democratic challenger Al Franken -- that one is in the middle of a recount -- and endorsed Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the top Republican on Lieberman's Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

But, as Merkley spoke, our colleague Paul Kane reports, no one in the room knew that Lieberman had supported Merkley's opponent, Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Ore.). Lieberman, through his Reuniting Our Country PAC, gave Smith's reelection bid $5,000 on Oct. 10, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The Democrats voted overwhelmingly to let Lieberman retain his gavel.