Is Lieberman afraid of the Lamont challenge

Rumor has that Joe Lieberman is becomming unhinged over the prospect of facing Ned Lamont in a Democratic primary.

Kos confirms the chatter I've been hearing over the last couple of weeks.

I plugged in to the gossip mill while in DC over the weekend, and this race has got everyone talking. The buzz is that Lieberman is freaking out, going so far as to demand that the Dem senate caucus help him eliminate this primary threat. However, those pleas don't appear to have been well received. He's on his own.

Take that with all the appropriate grains of salt and file away under "rumor" (even though the source is pretty darn good). But there's a reason that Lieberman has hinted he'd run as an independent in the general election if ousted in the primary. For him to even consider that possibility and vocalize it means it's on his mind. The grassroot groups in Connecticut are furious at Lieberman, and Lamont is the beneficiary.

Lieberman should be concerned. Although Joe has a decent approval rating, his core support comes not from Democrats but from the Republicans in the state and strong Democratic challenger like Ned Lamont can prove to be a problem for Lieberman because liberals would nothing better than to hand Lieberman his walking papers.

Liberal groups like MoveOn.org are licking their chops to tear into Lieberman and you can bet that every anti-war Democrat in the state will make Lamont their man. Add that with the fact that this primary will definately get national exposure and you have all the elements for a very explosive primary.