Why Would Boxer Endorse Lieberman?

As if we needed any more evidence that U.S. senators see themselves as one big club where membership is prized above everything else, including sense and loyalty, we have the mind-twisting event Monday in Connecticut where Sen. Barbara Boxer showed up to stump for Sen. Joe Lieberman.

Now, I'm not as anti-Lieberman as some in the Democratic party. (And some have a lot more reason.) I consider Lieberman to be a Bush moderate, in other words a politician who is moderate whenever reason rules the country, but who in the face of irrationality begins to support the most idiotically conservative positions. Under the right circumstances, Lieberman has been and could be an asset, if a volatile one.

But, under the current circumstances two things are becoming clear. 1. Lieberman is not serving the Democratic Party or his contituency. 2. Democrats in Connecticut are fed up with Lieberman and are moving more and more to Lamont.

Given that, it seems a colossal waste of time and energy for a liberal senator whose politics are in many instances the exact opposite of Lieberman's to speak out in his favor.

This will accomplish exactly nothing. It won't even have a negative effect on Boxer. People just aren't going to forget the past five years and Joe's constant support for pretty much any and everything G. Dubya wanted.

My guess is this is about money. The Lieberman campaign probably thinks that by bringing Boxer in, at least in combination with Bill Clinton, they will be able to squeeze a few bucks out of waffling liberals and moderates who haven't yet decided where their support should go.

If that's the case, Lieberman and his senior staff need a reality check. All the money in the world won't change the fact that when a formerly popular senior senator finds himself falling behind in the polls to a former unknown, he's up to his neck in deep shit with a Mack truck tied to his ankle and no amount of rope in the world's going to save him.

It's not yet time for Lieberman to bow out. No one should blame him at this point for continuing to fight. But the time is fast approaching, and a seasoned campaigner like Boxer should be able to see that and should be putting her time and energy to work elsewhere.