Obama’s Lieberman Manuever

Need a break from watching the stock market plunge to what some predict will be a DJIA of 6500? Tune into Obama’s neutralization of all potential foes as he in gathers his cabinet and Congressional allies like Lieberman with lightning speed. I suspect the NY Times breathlessly covers the Elected One’s every move, from his AG selection to his BlackBerry-less future (there’s always PinkBerry) because Bush’s been lame ducking since ’06. If we could vote for it, I’m sure we’d have Obama take office yesterday. And give Paulson his walking papers.

Let’s start with Lieberman – a majorly hot button dude for Jews, Dems and moderate Republicans. Dem Liberals had been freaking out about Lieberman’s keeping his chairmanship on the Homeland Security and Gov’t Affairs committee earlier this week. But if you’re a pro-Obama centrist, it’s great news.

Keeping Lieberman’s post intact fulfills Obamas’s pledge to be bi-partisan and lead a United States of America. Remember 46% of all Americans didn’t for Obama. Living up to the president-elect’s rhetoric is a win in private circles as he defangs Congressional Republicans and other oppositional insiders; and in the public as he appears magnanimous and truly post-partisan.

Now for the fun part. It also means Lieberman now owes the Democratic caucus for the remainder of his tenure. Joe better bleed blue on demand, or they’ll downgrade him to whatever it is John Kerry does for a living. (He toils on the highly ignored Small Business committee.) Keeping Lieberman in place retains Obama’s leverage over a foe – leverage delivered by Harry Reid who wanted to can Lieberman ever since he stumped for McCain.

Presumably now Obama owes Reid for this favor… which is a smart Obama calculation. If I were the Elect, I’d rather owe Reid and have Lieberman on the hook, rather than fulfilling Reid’s wish to jettison Lieberman and get nothing in return — since we all know Reid will root for Obama regardless. It’s win-win. It’s intriguing to imagine what Obama promised Reid in return. Maybe, like, keeping HRC’s ambitions away from a Senate leadership position by promoting to the cabinet….? (And, btw, keeping Joe in place makes it convenient to also keep Kerry in place — because if Joe is demoted down to Kerry’s chairmanship then Kerry will expect a promotion up. Talk about inside baseball. This is like a grand slam.)

There’s a small downside to the Lieberman maneuver. Partisan Dems hate Lieberman for his betrayals in the election, especially at the RNC, but those Dems aren’t about to abandon BO, so he can sustain a blip of dissatisfaction from them in the press. Once he appoints a sop to this wing of the party they’ll quiet down.

A few days later the newspapers are full of news about Daschle at Health and Human Services and the first ever black Attorney General – Eric Holder. Talk about change we can believe in. Remember J. Edgar Hoover’s investigations into MLKjr and the FBI’s treatment of the Panthers? Those days are over. Hopefully, forever.

Here’s the big picture: Obama’s creating an American version of a unity government to get us through the mess he inherits from the unbelievable failures of the Bush administration, and to chart a new course as the Reagan Revolution implodes.

He’s slowly coopting the opposition and enthralling the widest base imaginable: Loyal lefty Dems (Daschle at HHS, Holder as AG), Hawkish Dems (HRC in State), Moderates (Lieberman saves face, and power) and pretty soon, Republicans. The conventional wisdom points to Obama’s keeping Gates/Petraeus on the job, probably for the first two years of office. There’s no rush for Obama to wade in these waters (sorry hardcore Dems, he doesn’t actually walk on water) until he has to.

About HRC: We’ll never know what back room deals were made when BO and HRC met in Feinstein’s house in Georgetown this fall. Whatever he promised her, he got a stellar post-primacy performance, including the unanimous delegate sweep at the DNC, and he won the election. Maureen Dowd seems to think that the Sec of State move is smart. The same day Down ran her column, Friedman said he is skeptical. Maybe the appointment will keep the Clintons out of the country and far from the domestic policy sphere where they have influence and weight, which BO and Reid/Pelosi/Kennedy will want to mastermind on their own. But it’s doubtful.

When Obama does come to pass some massive stimulus package that includes craziness like universal health care or green tech investments, he’s going to need every ally he can in Congress — having Joe beholden won’t hurt.

The more I think about Obama, the more impressed I am by his shrewdness. And it’s better than watching the economy fly off a cliff.