The idea that Lieberman is some sort of "centrist Democrat" and that the effort to defeat him is driven by radical leftists who hate bipartisanship is nothing short of inane. Why would Sean Hannity and Bill Kristol be so eager to keep a "centrist Democrat" in the Senate? Lincoln Chafee is a "centrist Republican." Are there any Democrats or liberals who care if Lincoln Chafee wins his primary? Do leftist ideologues run around praising and defending and working for the re-election of Olympia Snowe or Chris Shays or other Republican "centrists"? Do Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity love other Democratic "centrists," such as, say, Mary Landrieu or Joe Biden? The answer to all of those questions is plainly "no".

The love which right-wing extremists have for Joe Lieberman isn't based on the fact that he's a "centrist." If Lieberman were a "centrist," extremists would not care about him. They would not be vigorously urging his re-election, or praising his potential appointment as Bush Defense Secretary, or touting him as a Vice-Presidential running mate for George Allen. They do that because he is one of them -- a neoconservative extremist who is with them on virtually every major issue of the day.

[via dKos]

Incidentally, while I don't think he's being deliberately disingenuous, it's rather naive (if politically and socially convenient) of Kos to continue to downplay his role in promoting the idea that Lieberman could be taken down. My read is that without his pushing it, the whole thing would have died on the vine.

It's a thing that people say when they're trying to start a movement that relies on the active participation of many people, "It wasn't me, it was all of you." It's polite, it's helpful to the development of the movement, it's convenient, and there's some truth to it, but it too radically underplays the value of the spokesman or figurehead or point-person, or whatever it is Kos sees his role as being.

Like C.J. Cherryh's alien Mahendo'sat in the Chanur universe, human psychology needs a personage to relate to.

Update: Kos's round-up of Lieberman/Lamont commentary from around the blogosphere is worthwhile.