After a brutal fall from grace in losing his party's primary this summer, Mr. Lieberman will return to the Senate emboldened, rather than chastened. All fall, he used terms like "unshackled" and "liberated" to describe himself and called his independent candidacy a "twist of fate." In Washington, he is unlikely to be cast out - rather, he could be courted by both sides on close votes. "I will go to Washington beholden to no political group, but only to the people of Connecticut and my conscience," Mr. Lieberman told supporters in his victory speech Tuesday night at the Goodwin Hotel here. He said his victory was "a declaration of independence from politics of partisanship," adding, "I will be an independent senator, but I will not be alone."
The Moose gloats and kvells.
There is great joy in Mooseland. The nutroots have struck out. Joe Lieberman has prevailed. The vital center is victorious!
Read and weep, dear nutroots,
"Throughout his career, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman has proudly proclaimed himself an "independent-minded Democrat." But in the closing days of this campaign, Mr. Lieberman added a superlative, promising to be a "very independent Democrat."
Don't believe the pathetic nutroots spin. In August, they engaged in premature triumphalism believing that they vanquished the vital center. One even indicated that he had ominous plans to obliterate the organization that Joe once led. No, they did not need the dreaded establishment. All they needed were their trusted keyboards and their internet access.
Bloviating bloggers had rushed to the Nutmeg State to hop aboard the Lamont bus with laptops in hand. Indeed, the candidate was their creation. He was their central project. And this "people power" populist plutocrat poured millions of his own fortune into the race. While the nutroots are fervent, they are also cheap.
As the Moose used to say in Texas, the nutroots were all hat and no cattle. Alas, the internet emperors wear no clothes! MSM take note. Kos and Sirota are out. Gerstein and Sun are in.
Now, these tough blogosphere operatives kvetch, moan and cry. Their champion has lost and these puerile puppies complain that the loathed "establishment" did not stand by their man. They cannot handle the truth. Polarization is passe.
The central reason that the Democrats have achieved their major triumph is that they captured the center that was abandoned by the GOP. The Moose welcomes the new group of Blue Dogs.
Polarization has its limits. And Joe Lieberman will return to the Senate as the leader of the vital center. Indeed, Joe emerges ever stronger and as perhaps the most influential member of the upper chamber! By sticking to his guns, Joe wrote another chapter in Profiles in Courage.
A powerful message has been sent to the '08 wannabees who sent Negative Ned their money and support - you can pander to the nutroots to win primaries, but you must reach out to the vital center to win a general election (even in a deep blue state). More persuasion and less comment threads, please.
The Moose deeply enjoys Kosenfreude*. And yes, Virginia, there is Joementum! -- | 
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