He’s got two years of his term left, during which he will be looking for “new opportunities that will allow me to serve my country.” Do you think that means something involving a large salary and a chance to make multitudinous TV appearances, or a Peace Corps stint in Burkina Faso? Let me see hands.
If Sen. Joe Lieberman was hoping the news he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2012 would prompt a wave of sentimentality and rose-colored retrospectives, he’s probably pretty disappointed right now.
Gail Collins’ piece in today’s NYT is a pretty damning piece of work, but it rings true with my sense of the man (always bearing in mind that you can never really know a person through their media portrayal, which is how I know Lieberman).
Today he’s probably best known – certainly among those who still support him – for his principled independence. But Collins has a pretty withering response to that, too: “Obviously, sometimes people with principles have to take an independent stand. But Lieberman’s career has taught us how important it is to do that with a sense of humility. If you’re continually admiring yourself as you walk away from your group, eventually people are going to feel an irresistible desire to trip you.”
Still, if a week is a long time in politics, two years is a really long time. Which means it’s not too late for Lieberman to build a legacy that means he’s remembered for more than just Jon Stewart’s Droopy Dog impression. Oh – and for being so desperately, horrifically wrong on the Iraq war.
