Trading Places

From TPMCafe and The Politico comes some news that, while not definitive or final, sets up an interesting scenario: Joe Lieberman may yet become a Republican.

Talk about this sort of jump for Lieberman has been underway for weeks, but I think that the media involvement before the actual jump signals the possibility of this being a threat rather than a promise. The TPMCafe piece talks about a profile of the Senator which will be coming out in Time in a few days, wherein Lieberman says that switching to the GOP is a "remote possibility." Which, in political language, means "it is possible enough for me to be talking about it, so you may as well count it as a certainty."

After the campaign histrionics and blog battles, most of the problem seems to be about the war, and Lieberman is now saying that if a floor fight occurs over new funding for the war, he might jump ship. Which, again, in political language, means "If it comes down to a floor fight over new funding for the war, I will totally become a Republican."

So. If I'm right, Senate Democrats have three options.

1) They can force the issue on war funding and risk losing the Senate.
2) They can avoid the floor fight and seek out some compromise, digging for GOP votes in a situation where the cost of GOP participation in such a negotiation may hold more costs than benefits.
or
3) They can can deal with Lieberman individually, figure out what he wants, and then after tying him firmly on board, stick to the fight against funding more war activity.

I recognize this is mostly speculation, but Lieberman is talking about a specific action and a specific issue for a specific reason, and that will have to be reckoned with.