Lieberman plays it safe, votes against Alito

I wouldn't read too much into Lieberman voting against Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito and the reason is simple; this vote is a safe political move by Lieberman that will not anger more Democrats in a state where every vote counts.

Lieberman is not dumb, he knew that if he voted yea to confirm Alito, the pro-choice crowd would rally against him in large numbers. Having the anti-war crowd upset is one thing but Lieberman would of set off a firestorm of anger in the state if he voted for the guy who will vote to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Could you imagine and anti-war and pro-choice crowd joining forces to kick Lieberman out of office?

Lieberman's staff know that the smart thing to do is to show voters in Connecticut that he is a Democrat and not a Democrat in Disguise Only (DINO). Lately, he's toned down his pro-Iraq rhetoric and recently criticized the White House and FEMA over Katrina (although as readers of this blog well know, Lieberman had no problem approving Bush crony Michael Brown to head FEMA (even after reviewing Brown's now infamous resume). Lieberman knows that this is an election year so he needs to play it safe.

From the New York Newsday:

WASHINGTON -- Connecticut Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman will vote against confirming Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, a senior Lieberman aide said Thursday.

Aide Rob Sawicki said Lieberman would have no further comment until he takes the floor of the Senate, where the confirmation debate continued Thursday.

Lieberman, whose vocal pro-war support for President Bush has rankled fellow Democrats, joins Connecticut's other senator, Democrat Christopher Dodd, who said Tuesday that he will vote against Alito because his judicial philosophy is "outside the mainstream."

Will this tactic work? Who knows. It all depends on future events. The time between now and August (Democratic primary) is a lifetime in the politics and anything can happen but for right now, Lieberman is obviously not going to do anything that will anger more people in the state.