Rove v. Lieberman

Has to be good news for the good guys.

This has got to be good news: Karl Rove called Joe Lieberman and urged Lieberman to take himself out of contention for the VP slot. Lieberman refused.

It’s hard to count all the wonderful aspects of this:

1. It confirms that Lieberman’s really under serious consideration. Apparently McCain really likes him. Aside from being the Evangelicals’ court Jew, what does he bring to the party? Joe Biden is as good a “beer track,” “regular” Democrat as Lieberman is, and tons less greasy. And a McCain-Lieberman ticket would look like two guys leaving the Assisted Living facility for a vigorous nine holes of golf.

2. Rove apparently believes, as many other Republicans do, that this would split the party. I certainly hope it will.

3. Republicans are acting like Democrats, conducting their intraparty negotiations in the press, while the No Drama Obama campaign stays buttoned up.

4. Now if McCain doesn’t pick Lieberman, we all get to say in chorus, “If he couldn’t stand up to Karl Rove, how’s he going to stand up to Ahmadinejad?

As a bonus, Bob Novak got punked.

Author: Mark Kleiman

Professor of Public Policy at the NYU Marron Institute for Urban Management and editor of the Journal of Drug Policy Analysis. Teaches about the methods of policy analysis about drug abuse control and crime control policy, working out the implications of two principles: that swift and certain sanctions don't have to be severe to be effective, and that well-designed threats usually don't have to be carried out. Books: Drugs and Drug Policy: What Everyone Needs to Know (with Jonathan Caulkins and Angela Hawken) When Brute Force Fails: How to Have Less Crime and Less Punishment (Princeton, 2009; named one of the "books of the year" by The Economist Against Excess: Drug Policy for Results (Basic, 1993) Marijuana: Costs of Abuse, Costs of Control (Greenwood, 1989) UCLA Homepage Curriculum Vitae Contact: Markarkleiman-at-gmail.com