He ain't worth a damn

Can anyone be surprised that the principled Senator from the Great State of Aetna who joined with John McCain and his other Gang of 14 Senate pals to keep Democrats from filibustering George Bush's judicial candidates is now threatening to filibuster the Democrats' health care plan if it includes an "opt out" public option? This is exactly the way I anticipated Joe Lieberman would show his gratitude for being allowed to retain his seniority in spite of his behavior during the Presidential campaign.

Of course, what's going on here is a power play. Lieberman doesn't want health insurance reform, we already know that, and he was never going to be one of the 50 Senators to vote to pass the bill itself, but he knows that something is coming. Now that Olympia Snow isn't going to tip the balance and vote for a bill containing an opt-out, Lieberman doesn't have the so-called "bipartisan" pressure of Snowe voting for cloture to give him the cover to vote for cloture himself and then against the bill; he is now in position to dictate terms, or at least be perceived by his owners at the insurance companies as doing that. Lieberman and his ego are not going to miss the opportunity to play that part, and in public rather than in a productive discussion behind closed doors, party loyalty (come on) be damned.

And President Obama has known this, too, which is why he won't commit to the opt-out plan. He can count, too.