by Lee Stranahan
I think it's a mistake to see the Lieberman reconciliation as another example of Democratic Party weakness. What we're seeing here is actually pretty profound -- the proper application of strength.
After a landslide victory for the entire party and after Lieberman's performance during the election, nobody would have faulted Obama for wanting Joe to go. It was expected, really.
A lot of people would like to believe that Obama might be acting in some Machiavellian way and planning a long term smackdown. I don't think so. I think this week's Lieberman and Hillary headlines show that our next President is actually confident that treating people better than they 'deserve' is a new kind of politics that will make our country better.