Grow up, bloggers, he says:

If the plutocratic G.O.P. is ever to be defeated, Democrats will have to win the confidence of the American people that they are a tough party that will vanquish our enemies. That is why Joe Lieberman is so vital to the donkey. If those on the left have their honest disagreements with him or any other Democrat, that is fair and to be expected. However, the Moose would argue that those voices on the left who would transform the party into a dogmatically left-wing party serve the wishes of Rove and company in a profoundly significant way.

Worth noting is that the adult Moose does not engage with substantive criticism of Joenertia's own sloppy embrace of plutocracy and the Moose's weak defense thereof. Of course, the Moose is rarely ever substantive: all is political in Mooseville.

Also worth noting is that Joe Lieberman's value to the Democratic Party in terms of burnishing its image is highly, highly questionable, since he mainly serves as a foil and an enthusiastic voice in favor of some of the most questionable aspects of Bush adminstration policy. Joe Biden is an example of a hawkish Democrat who also voted for the bankruptcy bill (being the Senator from MBNA and all), yet arouses much less intraparty ire.

So to the estimable Moose, I would ask: why is that?

... see also Matt Yglesias' response.

In the spirit of Sunshine Week, I've decided to come out of my hidey-hole as regards domestic policy and recommend this piece by Josh Marshall. Reading it has left me with a palpable sense of disgust and powerlessness. What can I do about it? I'm pretty damn sure that destroying NPR is not the answer.

I can't help but think that MoveOn.org really ought to be training its guns on this broader issue rather than on the John Bolton nomination, as lousy a choice as he seems to be. Likewise, the ACLU is busy suing Donald Rumsfeld. I suppose it's not a question of either/or and Bolton and Rumsfeld are surely worthy of attention in many ways, but still, I find it odd that what seems to really animate both organizations is opposition to the Bush administration's foreign policy rather than the underlying culture that enables it--call it Pravdafication, Putinization, whatever. Maybe DailyKos will awaken from its self-indulgent navel-gazing and pitch in?

{update to fix typo & double-posting}