Liberal Talk Radio

Could all this recent Bush-Lieberman love be heading towards Old Joe (heh, sorry) becoming the next Secretary of Defense? The Daily News’ Thomas DeFrank pushes forward this idea:

White House officials are telling associates they expect Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to quit early next year, once a new government is formed in Iraq, sources said yesterday.

Rumsfeld’s deputy, Gordon England, is the inside contender to replace him, but there’s also speculation that Sen. Joe Lieberman — a Democrat who ran against Bush-Cheney in the 2000 election — might become top guy at the Pentagon.

That’s not as farfetched as it might first appear.

Futher evidence:

Rumors that Lieberman could replace Rumsfeld started flying early this week, and Bush and Vice President Cheney fanned the flames by quoting the former Democratic veep candidate’s pro-war statements.

The mention of Lieberman’s name prompted some Democrats to whisper that he is lobbying for the job.

“Lieberman seems to be coordinating his statements on the war with the White House,” a Senate Democratic source said.

The source pointed to a news conference this week where Lieberman urged his party not to undermine Bush. The timing of Lieberman’s pitch, also this week, to form a bipartisan “war cabinet” to aid Bush was cited as well.

This seems win-win, right? The Bush Administration gets to become even more Clintonesque than they already are (e.g., pissing off the base by triangulating, not governing), doing the whole reaching-out-across-the-aisle thing. It’s William Cohen Redux. (I was disappointed to see that Cohen’s mother was shiksa, because it would otherwise be a perfect neoconservative conspiracy!).

But to take this further, the Democrats would also get to eliminate Zell Miller #2, who is confounding even his most faithful followers. It’s Boltonian in the sense that it can be seen as a demotion of sorts (in the case of Bolton, put out to pasture at the sclerotic UN). Or I should say, if you’re inclined to see it that way, no one would stop you.

That’s Joe-mentum!