Fear and Trembling

I was going to blog about life in the police state that Denver's LoDo has become since the Democratic Convention arrived, but I thought better of it. Too many men with intimidating weapons lurking on every corner to risk having the post read by someone deep within Big Brother.

So I thought I would take a different sort of risk. After rather broad but shallow thought (this will be about politics afterall), I think I am ready to endorse Sen. Joe Lieberman to be John McCain's Vice-Presidential nominee. There are a number of things I think this accomplishes:

1) It forces Democrats to attack a man who was their own VP nominee just 8 years ago. It would be very interesting to see Democrats argue that everything that recommended Lieberman for the vice-presidency in 2008 has vanished.

2) Barack Obama's selection of Sen. Joe Biden makes the Democratic ticket look like Daddy Daycare. It was a gross admission that Barack needs an adult looking over his shoulder. McCain-Lieberman screams: "Let the grown-ups talk, dear."

3) It completely destroys what might be left of Obama's "Change" message. It would be a razor sharp signal. You want change? You are tired of the same old Washington politics? You want to fundamentally change the way things are done in D.C.? OK. Here's how real leaders "do change." Let's try the first bi-partisan ticket in 150 years.

Whearas Obama reverts to the 5th longest serving man in the Senate, and somehow passes this off as change, McCain can point to a truly fundamental change. Game. Set. Match.

4) Lieberman would still be the first Jew nominated for the vice-presidency. While this takes a backseat to Obama's cache, it could certainly help McCain with an Obama-skeptical Jewish constituency that could mean the margin of victory in Florida.

5) Joe Lieberman is a man of genuine, deep religious faith, and a man of universally recognized good-will. I think social conservatives would be more accepting of Sen. Lieberman given what he clearly adds than conventional wisdom might suggest. It is also easily established that McCain is the pro-life president, leading a pro-life administration, and appointing judges. Out of pure conjecture I think Lieberman is possibly more acceptable than a Republican in the mold of Rudy Giuliani.

The counter-argument is also compelling, though:

-1) No Republican is being groomed by means of the vice-presidency to himself run for president in the future. McCain would in effect be cutting the farm team off at the knees. However, few vice presidents actually go on to win the presidency. Just ask Presidents Rockefeller, Mondale, and Gore. Perhaps the better farm team is in the governor's mansion.

-2) At age 72, there is the unusual risk of Joe Lieberman actually becoming president without running for the office. This would up-end the politics at the top, and seriously damage Republican policy goals. To answer this I would assert that a couple of years of President Lieberman as an outside possibility strikes me as decidedly better than a guaranteed 4 years of President Obama.

-3) Any enthusiasm the conservative base has been building up for McCain would be lost overnight. They'll stay home and cost McCain the election. In reallity if the prospect of 60 Democratic Senators, the Pelosi House Part II, and President Obama with 2 or 3 retiring Supreme Court justices doesn't motivate the base, then I'm not sure they deserve to be pandered to.

Here I stand. I can do no other.