The Ratchet Effect: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Lieberman

Lieberman. You have to admire his tenacity. He cut himself an admirable deal. Senate leadership lets him run a committee and do whatever he wants, and in exchange, he willingly functions as a convenient scapegoat and target for ineffectual Progressive wrath, as they are constitutionally incapable of understanding that he is not an impediment to the Donk's grand plans, but a primary component. Indeed, if "Republicans apply the torque that turns the thing rightward [and] . . . Democrats are the pawl," then the likes of Lieberman (see also, Ben Nelson, the Blue Dogs, et al) are the teeth on the gear, which is to say, the sharp protrusions against which the Democratic pawl clicks to prevent backsliding. The wheel turns right; the Donk slips in; Lieberman cries "Across this line . . . you do not . . ."; and the Progressive internet goes bonkers and ignores the rest of the machine. Whether health care or the terror war. Doesn't matter. The effect is the same.

Now I am sure that good liberals everywhere will crow about Lieberman's hilariously useless hearings in which various and sundry cable news commentators haul up to Capitol Hill to weight in . . . weightily on Homegrown Terrorism or whatever. But of course everyone's interests are served. The interest of propagating the crackpot nomenclature of Islamofascism and suchlike is advanced. The interest of making the Donk and The Obama appear like reasonable proceduralists is advanced. The interest of giving the Elephant a forum in which to inveigh against the depredations of Political Correctness ("Hello, 1990s? This is Politics calling.") is advanced. Thus ever does the axle turn.