America's Most Powerful

Who is the most powerful political figure in the United States? There could be a lengthy list. Names like President Bush, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, and others may come to mind. I would suggest, however, that one of the people who deserves serious consideration for the title is someone who only four months ago would have been considered the weakest of all politicians.

The man is Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman's support for the Iraq War, and coziness with President Bush cost him his party's nomination for the seat he had held since 1988. The leaders of the party for which he was the Vice Presidential nominee only six years earlier abandoned him; they cast lots with his much more liberal opponent.

Now, only two months into the first Democratic Congress since the Republican Revolution, the Connecticut independent stands as one of the single most important people in the halls of Congress.With the Democrats holding control by the slimmest of margins in the Senate, the social moderate and war hawk's vote serves as the tipping point for Senate power.

When it comes to Iraq there are several Republicans willing to cross party lines and vote with their Democratic colleagues. This reality lessens the power Lieberman's vote. Nevertheless, last week Lieberman's staff used words that he has oft-denied: the swing Senator switching over to the GOP is a "very remote possibility". This kind of statement, while I doubt Senator Lieberman would ever make such a move, scares the party leadership at Democratic headquarters.

A Lieberman switch would have wide-reaching consequences. The most direct is that the Red Team would retake control of the Senate. As a result, the Iraq debate would be further mitigated. The likelihood of governmental gridlock would become even greater. Additionally, this would allow those Democrats in the Senate who are eyeing a White House run empowered to move further to the Left (since, as I argued here, they would be freed from having to produce meaningful legislation, as that job falls to the party in power).

Lieberman has forced the Democrats to change the topics they discuss in their caucus meetings, and has single-handedly forced Reid to change his positions by simply saying that one of the Majority Leader's positions makes him "upset". The Independent from Connecticut has the power to alter the behavior of the Senate in a greater fashion than anyone in politics.

Is having such power in the hands of one person a positive development? The initial reaction of most people to that question would depend on party affiliation. This is clearly a limiting factor for the Democrats, and therefore would generally be viewed by those on the Left as a negative reality. It should also be noted that the Right has been in the same position over the last several years. Moderates like Lincoln Chaffe of Rhode Island (and McCain, to a lesser extent) altered the behavior of the GOP much as Lieberman is doing to the Left today.

I view the Chaffes and the Liebermans of the Senate as positive forces. Though such people can be a pain in the side of party faithful, their existence breaks up the "group think" that so often occurs in halls of Congress. Their presence challenges the pressure applied by party whips and forces moderation and accommodation. Though the positions of someone like McCain may drive me crazy, as may the positions of Lieberman to those on the Left, I nonetheless must acknowledge that their presence creates more honest, more reasonable, less ideologically-driven policies. For this, they have my respect.

What will Joe Lieberman do with the power he currently wields? Time will tell, but time is also his enemy. As '08 nears, the action of Congress will be increasingly overshadowed by the election. But this is for certain: Joe Lieberman has shown that he will be more concerned with doing what is best than for enlarging his own power.