An Explanation of Joe Lieberman's Zigs and Zags

McJoan at the Daily Kos on Joe Lieberman:

Daily Kos: CT-Sen: The Lieberman Principle: Here's what the "steadfast" Joe Lieberman said about criticism of President Bush, Bush's Iraq plan, and Rummy from 2003 to 2006. I highlighted the statements Lieberman made when running in contested elections and thus needed Democratic votes and support in italic...

Joe Lieberman today on dissent:

What I will say is this: I not only respect your right to disagree or question the President, I value it. I was part of the anti-war movement in the late 1960s, so I don't need to be lectured by Ned Lamont about the place of dissent in our democracy.

Joe Lieberman in December 2005 on dissent.

It's time for Democrats who distrust President Bush to acknowledge that he will be the commander in chief for three more critical years and that in matters of war we undermine presidential credibility at our nation's peril.

Joe Lieberman today on the Bush Administration plans for the Iraq occupation:

The fact is, I have openly and clearly disagreed with and criticized the President for, among other things . . . not having a plan to win the peace[.] [NOTE: Lieberman made these criticisms in 2003, when he was seeking the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.]

Joe Lieberman in December 2005 on the Bush Plan for Iraq:

Does America have a good plan for doing this, a strategy for victory in Iraq? Yes, we do. And it's important to make clear to the American people that the plan has not remained stubbornly still, but has changed over the years.

Joe Lieberman today on Rummy:

I said that if I were President, I would ask Secretary Rumsfeld to resign. I first [NOTE: Lieberman never said it again until his appearance on the Ed Schultz show this week] said that in October 2003. [NOTE: In October 2003, when Lieberman called for Rumsfeld's resignation, he was seeking the Democratic nomination for the Presidency.]

Joe Lieberman in May 2004 on Rummy:

[I]t is neither sensible nor fair to force the resignation of the secretary of defense, who clearly retains the confidence of the commander in chief, in the midst of a war. . . . Secretary Rumsfeld's removal would delight foreign and domestic opponents of America's presence in Iraq.

Have we found a pattern? All the... statements, when Lieberman supports President Bush, come when he is not running in contested elections and does not need Democratic support. All the italicized statements, when Lieberman is critical of President Bush, come when he is running in contested elections and does need Democratic support....

So this is the Lieberman Principle. What is good for Joe is good. When it is good for Joe to criticize the President, then it is good to criticize the President. Only then. When it is good for Joe to be partisan, then it is good to be partisan. Only then. When it is good for Joe to abandon the Democratic party, then it is good. Only then...