An orgy of post-partisanship?

McCain-Lieberman vs. Obama-Snowe?

Talk about "historic": we'd have candidates competing to be first black, first female, first Jewish, and oldest first-term president or vice-president, with the winning ticket guaranteed to be the first "bipartisan" administration since Adams-Jefferson.

(Lieberman, I should note in passing, is increasingly pissing me off lately. I don't have any problem with him supporting McCain -- I myself, as I keep saying, am thoroughly undecided between Obama and McCain at this point, and I don't think Lieberman owes some mythical duty of "loyalty" to support the Democratic nominee -- nor do I mind him drawing honest, substantive contrasts between McCain and Obama, even if he does so vigorously. But some of these deceptive partisan smears are beneath him... or I thought they were. Unlike Joe Klein, I'm not prepared at this point to say that I was wrong in 2006. But I'm disappointed in ol' Joementum. I'll probably have more to say about that at some point fairly soon.)

Another possibility: what if McCain picks Lieberman and Obama picks Gore, leading to a Gore vs. Lieberman grudge match for the veep spot? They'd be running against each other, eight years after they ran with each other! LOL! Can you imagine the vice-presidential debate? 

Okay, so it won't happen, for like a million reasons, but it's still something for political junkies to salivate over. :)

Here's something that might happen, though: you know how Obama unveiled the Edwards endorsement -- in Michigan -- on the day after his big loss in West Virginia? Well, Obama will be in Tampa next Wednesday, the day after his big loss in Kentucky (and his big win in Oregon, after which he will sorta-kinda-not-really declare victory). Can you think of anyone who Obama might try to convince to join him there -- in Florida, of all places -- for another big splashy post-election endorsement? Just saying!

Comments

[Duck]

More of an orgy of single-partyship. McCain-Lieberman is a centrist Democrat ticket, Obama-whoesever is a leftist Democrat ticket.

I am predicting, regrettably, the Republican's own Chaos in the coming months. There is just too much blood in the water for Libertarians, Paulistas, and anyone else who wants to capitalize on our Milquetoast candidate. McCain's conservatism was as faux as Barack's faux beyond-politicalism. A mighty mess we have here, gentlemen.

[Angrier and Angrier]

"with the winning ticket guaranteed to be the first "bipartisan" administration since Adams-Jefferson."

And we all know how well that worked out.

[David K.]

Sorry Brendan, but Lieberman's tune has changed. Whether its because he has changed, or because he is just admitting to what he always was, he's more and more becoming a Bush Republican.

All this hue and cry over Obama's willingness to actually meet with our enemies is hilarious coming from the Right. I mean two of their biggest hero's, Nixon and Reagan did exactly that! Hell Reagan met with the Soviet's who actually HAD nukes that were actually aimed at us! Another stunning example fo the with us/against us black and white mentality of the current generation of the right wing.

[Angrier and Angrier]

David K-

The Republicans will point out that Obama wants to negotiate with terrorists. Of course, Reagan and Bush Sr. both negotiated with terrorists even while publicly saying they wouldn't.

[Aaron]

I doubt he will actually do it, but I think McCain would clearly like to pick Lieberman. It would make a lot of sense. They are, arguably, the two hawkiest hawks in the Senate, and the defining message of a McCain-Lieberman ticket would be a commitment to aggressively militarized foreign policy in the Middle-East. Picking Lieberman would be the equivalent of saying, "I know that if I die in office, President Lieberman might sign a health care bill that I would have vetoed, but I don't care. He's the guy I trust to continue my vision of foreign policy."

I think David is right though. A hypothetical President Lieberman would feel obliged, and probably even inclined, to govern as a McCainiac Republican, even on domestic policy. This wouldn't satisfy those Republicans who don't really think of McCain as one of them in the first place, but I also don't think we'd see much in the way of cooperation with a Democratic congress that liberals would want and conservatives would fear.

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On appeasement... here is some fun courtesy of Chris Matthews. I know, slapping down talk-radio blow-hards is (or ought to be) child's play, but I enjoyed this anyway. Call it a guilty pleasure.

[Joe Loy]

Yeah, Aaron, despite the grotesque Mismatch I too enjoyed watching the Walloping that moron took from Matthews. / It was Fun; and, it was much more Cleanly executed than Chris's prior Beatdown of Puerto Rico. ;>

Brendan, re bipartisan tickets, for the Barack veepship I've heard Senator Chuck Hagel being Mentioned amongst the Mentionees :}. Hm. Nebraska's 5 EVs for Obama! (Well. Or maybe 4 of them. :) Think of That. ;>