Should Joe stay or should he go?

All may not be lost for McCain-supporting Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman. It seems President-elect Obama won’t be kicking him to the party curb after all. Apparently, supporting the opposition — campaigning with Republican candidate John McCain, speaking at the Republican National Convention, and criticizing Obama’s foreign policy cred — wasn’t enough of an offense against Obama to get Lieberman banished from the party altogether.

Not all Democrats are in a forigiving mood, though. Many, like Majority Leader Harry Reid, are still gunning to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Senate Democrats are set to vote next week on whether or not Lieberman will keep his chairmanship. If Lieberman has spent any time kissing the reigning party’s behind since the election in an attempt to keep his spot, he’s not exactly apologizing for his recent behavior. Lieberman says he’ll walk if he loses his gavel.

I have to get behind Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd’s advice that Obama stay out of this one and avoid a political mess. Why would the president-elect waste such precious time and energy haggling over a Senate seat? And even more to the point, over Lieberman? Let’s not gloss over Lieberman’s voting recording. While he’s fond of saying it’s 90 percent in line with Democrats, it tends to go against the next administration’s plans when it comes to matters of foreign policy — Iraq and Iran to name two biggies.

The Connecticut senator has shown himself to be a hardy politician, one who’s stayed afloat by swinging between parties. This time Lieberman played his hand, hoping to get another shot at the VP seat, and he bet poorly — on McCain. If there’s a pity party in his honor, I won’t be going.

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