Two Senators To Watch: Lieberman And Nelson

The Democrats may -- I stress may -- retain control of the Senate.
But if they do it's likely that it will be by the barest margin -- one or two votes.
Of course, a 50/50 split (entirely possible) would mean that our hopelessly gaffe-prone Vice President "Regular" Joe Biden would cast the deciding vote. Technically, Dems would still be in charge. But Biden's so hapless (and has become such a joke) it hardly matters.
And a majority of one or two in the Senate is really not a working majority.
So, it's a safe bet that the GOP would seek to convert one or two Democrats to its side to win control and break a virtual deadlock.
Who might jump?
Well, the obvious choice is Senate Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. He leans Republican on many issues. He's never been particularly fond of the Obamas. And he owes the Democrats nothing. Plus, he's not likely to run for re-election anyway, so what does he care?
Lieberman's buddy Senator John McCain is the likely candidate to woo Lieberman to the other side of the aisle.
It won't be easy. Not by a longshot.
But don't rule out a Lieberman switch.
The other Senator to watch is Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska. Times have been tough for Nelson. The ultra-liberal stance of Nelson's party is not playing well in Nebraska and the Semator faces a tough battle when he comes up for re-election again.
If Nelson could pull off a switch to the other party it might mean a new lease on political life for him. Nelson voted "no" on the Kagan nomination and he's been pushing for an extension of all the Bush tax cuts. He's sending signals.
Nelson seems to be talking and acting like a man who doesn't want to be aligned with Obama anymore.
Liberman and Nelson.
These are two to watch
And there may even be one or two others.
Oh yes, interesting days lie ahead . . . .

Smirking, Franken Muzzles Lieberman

Senator John McCain came to the defense of Joe Lieberman on the Senate floor after far left Minnesota Senator Al Franken cut Lieberman off.
McCain says he has never seen this happen in his 20 years in the Senate.
But then again we've never had a Senator like Al Franken.
Al Franken is a disgrace to the people of Minnesota and an insult to sensible thinking people everywhere.
It's sad that the Democrat party is so desperate for power (and that all-important 60th vote) that it would embrace somebody like Franken.
Al Franken isn't fit to shine John McCain's shoes, let alone preside over the US Senate. Shame on him!

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit and Michelle Malkin

Veepstakes

Word out of Washington is that McCain is said to be focusing on Romney, Liberman or Ridge with Pawlenty as an outside choice for Vice President. Still, Dick Morris thinks McCain could opt for a woman and that he might turn to Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. I think Kay Bailey would be a great choice.
On the other side there is increasing buzz about the possibility that Obama will pick John Kerry. I think it would be near hilarious if that happened: IF Obama picked Kerry and IF Kerry accepted. Could you just picture Teresa Heinz Kerry and Michelle Obama on the campaign trail? What a team that would make. And as for Obama and Kerry, that's sort of like green tea and arugula; white wine and brie, Starbucks and Perrier. For the limousine liberal crowd it would be near orgasmic.

Joe Hits Obama On Iraq

From Jake Tapper at ABC News:
"Look, the fact is that if Barack Obama's policy on Iraq had been implemented, Barack Obama couldn't go to Iraq today, it wouldn't be safe," Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ind-Conn., told Chris Wallace . . . on "Fox News Sunday."
"Barack Obama, John McCain saw the same difficulty in Iraq," Lieberman argued, "John McCain had the guts to argue against public opinion, to put his whole campaign on the line because, as he says, he'd rather lose an election than lose a war that he thinks is this important to the United States..."
Lieberman continued: "Sen. McCain and I and others want us out of Iraq, sooner rather than later, but want us out in a way that does not compromise all the gains that American and Iraqi forces have made in Iraq ... And frankly, we want to stay there to a victory, because we don't want all those who have served in the American uniform there to have served, or in some cases died, in vain. Remember this, Chris, we wouldn't be having this discussion about how to get out unless the surge, which John McCain courageously fought for, taking on the president of his own party, popular opinion, risking his campaign, and which Sen. Obama opposed, worked. So, that's the good news."
And there's this charge as well: "If Barack Obama's policy in Iraq had been implemented, he couldn't be in Iraq today, is because he was prepared to accept retreat and defeat, and that would mean, today, al Qaeda would be in charge of parts of Iraq, Iranian-backed extremists would be in charge of other parts of Iraq. There'd be civil war and, maybe, even genocide. And the fact is that we are winning in Iraq today. And, you know, you can't choose, as Sen. Obama seems to think, to lose in Iraq so you can win in Afghanistan. The reality is, if we lost in Iraq, which Obama was prepared to do, we -- we would go to Afghanistan as losers."

Dems Want Joe Out

From Rick Pedraza at Newsmax:
Several Democratic insiders are now saying Sen. Joe Lieberman, D- Conn., will be kicked out of the party's caucus and lose his Senate chairmanship next year if he addresses the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., as planned.
Lieberman, the four-term senator from Connecticut who was elected as an independent in 2006 after losing the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004 because of his support for the Iraq war, is supporting Republican nominee John McCain for president.
According to The New York Times, Lieberman's Democratic colleagues are upset over his openly campaigning and traveling with the senator from Arizona during this election season and are fuming over his refusal to tone down his rhetoric against Obama. Some in his party are advising him that speaking to the GOP convention in September will be the last straw that breaks the camel’s back. . . . .
Lieberman has reportedly not ruled out switching parties, but has not to this point thought that he should, which is increasingly becoming an intolerable embarrassment to Democrats.
"I don't have any line that I have in my mind," Lieberman says about reaching the point of no return with the Democratic Party for speaking out on behalf of McCain. "If it happened, I'd know it when I saw it."

Dems To Banish Joe?

From Robert D. Novak:
Sen. Joseph Lieberman's friends are certain that if Democrats expand their one-vote Senate edge in this year's elections, they will kick him out of the Senate Democratic caucus and, therefore, oust him as Homeland Security Committee chairman.
Lieberman risked the usual punishment of ejection from the party caucus when he endorsed Republican Sen. John McCain for president and actively campaigned for him. But with Democrats in a Senate majority of only 51 to 49, they would lose control if Lieberman defected to the Republicans.
After being defeated by an anti-Iraq war candidate in the 2006 Connecticut Democratic primary, Lieberman kept his Senate seat in the general election by running as an independent and now calls himself an "Independent Democrat." He became Homeland Security chairman under the Democrats' strict seniority rules by remaining in the party caucus.