Lieberman Shakes Both Sides of Aisle

Indy senator promises he'll vote with Dems to end filibuster

(NEWSER) - Forget all the grandstanding about joining a GOP filibuster of health care reform if it contains any kind of public option: Sen. Joe Lieberman won't do it, Harry Reid tells liberal interest groups, who tell the Hill . He has a deal with the Connecticut Independent, the majority leader claims. Lieberman is the likeliest lawmaker outside the Democratic caucus to provide the extra vote needed to shut down a GOP filibuster. More»

Dem wants McCain-backing independent stripped of committee chairmanship

(NEWSER) - Patrick Leahy thinks fellow Sen. Joe Lieberman, after campaigning for John McCain, should no longer occupy the chair of key committees, the Democrat told Vermont Public Radio today. The Connecticut independent currently caucuses with the Democrats, and chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees, the Hill notes. Lieberman went “beyond the pale,” Leahy said. More»

Majority leader cries 'double-cross' on health care, doesn't quite take it back

(NEWSER) - Harry Reid can't get a break this week. Just as the flap over his use of the radioactive word "negro" was beginning to fade, the New York Times quoted him, in a preview of an upcoming magazine story, as trash-talking his supposed pal Joe Lieberman. The Times cited an unnamed source quoting a furious Reid saying Lieberman had “double-crossed” him on health care reform. Reid and Lieberman, who have a "one of the more unusual symbiotic relationships in a chamber defined by odd couples," have been issuing awkward fence-mending statements ever since, reports Politico. More»

Reid, Snowe, Lieberman, Burris, and more to star

(NEWSER) - The Senate’s health care debate heads to the floor this week, in a show that figures to star a cadre of colorful and influential characters. USA Today breaks down the senators to watch:

• Harry Reid: The man in the middle of it all, Reid will have to keep his party together and assemble 60 votes, all while minding his reelection prospects.
• Mitch McConnell: The minority leader is "the tortoise," slowly but surely keeping his GOP united.

Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman are two of them

(NEWSER) - To get the 60 votes he needs just to bring his health care bill to the floor of the Senate, Harry Reid is going to have to rein in some of his caucus' members. Politico surveys the majority leader's biggest challenges.

• Joe Lieberman, Conn. The independent said yesterday he'll join a GOP filibuster if the bill's not changed. He's no fan of either a public option or Olympia Snowe's trigger option—though he might just be posturing.