A Conflicted Lieberman Lays Off The Red Meat

Since John McCain sewed up the Republican nomination, it's been obvious that Joe Lieberman - his constant campaign traveling companion and one of his closest personal friends and political allies - would address the G.O.P. convention. What wasn't so obvious was which Joe would show up.

The answer hinged on the outcome of McCain's vice-presidential search. Probably from the beginning, McCain was inclined to tap Lieberman - and as the end of the process approached, it became clear that that's where his heart was.

If McCain had followed through on that instinct, then Lieberman would have shown up in St. Paul ready to spew red meat. This would have been both politically necessary (vicious and emotionally-charged attacks on Barack Obama would have helped the G.O.P. base overlook its differences with Lieberman) and practical: Having crossed the Rubicon, there would have been no further incentive for Lieberman to mince words in talking about Obama and the Democrats.

But it never came to this. McCain tried like hell to make room for Lieberman on the ticket, floating trial balloons about pro-choice running-mates (while simultaneously ramping up his own anti-abortion rhetoric - an effort to win breathing room from social conservatives) and hoping his closest allies on the right would be able to sell it to the G.O.P. base, but the vocal resistance from many of the right's more prominent voices scared him off.

And so it was a different, more conflicted Joe Lieberman who showed up in St. Paul on Tuesday, a man very much committed to his friend's election to the presidency - but also very much aware that his own political future may still call for cooperation and collaboration with Democrats.

Lieberman's primetime address on Tuesday night was firm, but it was no attack-dog diatribe. Repeatedly, he referred to himself simply as a Democrat, shunning the "independent Democrat" label that he's insistently pinned on himself since 2006. He took only a passing shot at Obama (and only toward the end of his speech) and spared every other individual Democrat (save Michael Moore, assuming he's a Democrat) any criticism at all. He even praised Bill Clinton, ticking off several of the 42nd President's more notable achievements.

"I'm here because John McCain's whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important," Lieberman said. "But it is not more important than being an American."

Over and over, Lieberman pressed this basic theme, hailing McCain's reform credentials on a host of issues and emphasizing his demonstrated willingness and ability to work with members of the opposite party. All of this made for a reasonably appealing speech to some political independents and Democrats in the television audience, but it did not make for a complete convention speech.

The real promise (to McCain supporters) of Lieberman's speech was that it might function as the rhetorical heir to Zell Miller's address at the 2004 convention - an impassioned, full-on assault against John Kerry and the Democratic Party that sought to sow fear in the hearts of swing voters about the security of their country and their families should the Democrats win power. At the same time, Miller's speech also served to fire up the delegates in the hall (enhancing the power of the televised product) and the Republican base watching at home.

Lieberman did not deliver that speech on Tuesday - not even close. Yes, this is partly because Miller is more temperamentally suited to fire-and-brimstone oratory, but Lieberman - had he wanted to - could easily have shifted his speech into a more aggressive and emotionally effective gear. The real difference is that Miller was 72 years old and on his way out of politics in 2004, an accidental senator serving out his final few months in office. He needed nothing from his Democratic Senate colleagues and the Democratic Party as a whole, leaving him free to napalm whatever bridges then remained between him and the Democratic establishment.

That was not the situation Lieberman was in on Tuesday night. Maintaining civil relations with Democrats in the Senate would not have been in his interests as McCain's running-mate - nor would it have even been possible. To have accepted a spot on McCain's ticket would have resulted in his instant removal from his Senate committee chairmanship and his banishment from the Senate's Democratic caucus - roles that he would never have recovered if he and McCain went on to lose in November.

Under those circumstances, Lieberman would have been as liberated as Miller was four years ago to shred his former partisan colleagues and to play every fear card in the G.O.P. playbook. The Lieberman we saw on Tuesday never mentioned Iran, for instance; but a V.P. nominee Lieberman would have claimed that the Obamas and Ahmadinejads like to vacation together. Or something like that.

Right now, it seems unlikely that Lieberman will keep his gavel when the Senate convenes next January. He's infuriated too many Democrats and - unlike right now - the party will finally have enough seats to tell him to take a hike. But it may not end up that way. The Democratic grassroots has savaged Lieberman for several years now - but his Senate colleagues have been far more reserved. He still votes with them most of the time, maintains good working relationships with many of them, and has given them more than $200,000 in campaign contributions this cycle. Just before Lieberman's speech on Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said that Lieberman would be "reevaluated" after the election - but also suggested an expanded Democratic majority wouldn't seal his fate.

"No one knows how to count votes better than I do. And I know there's a lot of difference between 51 and 50. I know there's a lot of difference between 52 and 53."

Lieberman's speech on Tuesday was remarkable because he shied away from throwing gasoline on the fire. His colleagues in the Senate may be furious that he spoke to a Republican convention, but the content of his speech didn't throw gasoline on the fire. In fact, he almost seemed to be straining to avoid doing so.

"I ask you," Lieberman said, "whether you are an independent, a Reagan Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for the country, not for the party you happen to belong to."

Notice that he explicitly limited his endorsement to the presidential race. The same was true throughout Lieberman's speech: he pointedly avoided endorsing any other Republican candidates or even speaking of the Republican Party in more favorable terms than the Democratic Party. He explained his personal reasons for endorsing McCain, and didn't go much further than that.

Senate Democrats may well boot him anyway next January - the smart money sure says so. But by holding his fire, he kept alive the possibility of a more pragmatic denouement, perhaps involving some kind of compromise.

Because he's not going to be vice president, Lieberman has to think about these things now. Rest assured, it would be a far different story if McCain had gone with his gut last week.