Lieberman, Dems seeing eye to eye [View All]

[oberliner]

Excerpt:

Senate Democrats now see the wisdom in letting him keep his coveted gavel as chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Had he been removed from his chairmanship, bitter relations may have ensued between Lieberman and his Democratic colleagues, sending him into the arms of the Senate Republican Conference — and the economic stimulus may have stalled.

“I think he can provide some very valuable liaison with the Republicans,” said Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).

By instead keeping him in the Democratic Caucus with just a slap on the wrist, Lieberman has proved to be a loyal vote, supporting all of Obama’s Cabinet nominees, voting for passage on the first two major bills Obama has signed into law and working as an ally on the stimulus bill. Indeed, Lieberman has broken from his party on just seven of the first 61 votes of the 111th Congress, as the opening weeks of 2009 have been dominated by domestic issues where Lieberman’s views are in line with many Democrats, unlike his hawkish positions on foreign policy.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0209/18691.html