Joe Lieberman To Address Convention -- GOP, That Is

The Washington Post is reporting this morning that Joe Lieberman will address the Republican National Convention in two weeks in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lieberman, who until 2006 was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Connecticut, will speak on the opening night of the convention. Says the Post, "His address on the opening night of the convention is intended to signal McCain's independence."

Lieberman was Al Gore's vice presidential candidate in 2000, but over the last years has devolved from independent to annoying to irrelevant in the Democratic Party. He is the Zell Miller of this year's GOP convention, and is being cast in Miller's role -- angry, divisive and in amazing lock-step with the entire GOP/conservative agenda. What independence?

Of course, it's the genius of the modern GOP that it will successfully frame Lieberman's lap-dog relationship with the Bush Agenda as a sign of independence. Lie to the American people about the rationale for invading Iraq? Check. Torture's OK, as long as we're the ones doing it? Check. Tax cuts for the wealthy will eventually close the deficit? Check.

These are the failed policies of the Bush years. McCain once opposed all of them -- unlike John Cornyn, who proudly embraced the Bush nonsense from Day One -- but has now climbed into Bush's lap to solidify the conservative movement's tepid endorsement of him. That's the narrative the Obama campaign must start talking about, and start talking about now.