Lieberman, Dems Seeing Eye to Eye

By MANU RAJU | Politico

President Barack Obama got by with a little help from his friends in the Senate on Tuesday — and Joe Lieberman, too.

Just three months ago, some Democrats wanted to revoke Lieberman’s chairmanship as punishment for backing John McCain, but Obama quietly pushed for a lesser penalty for Lieberman’s election season apostasy.

And when the president needed Lieberman down the road, the gentle hand paid off.

With Obama’s economic stimulus plan on life support in the Senate last week, Lieberman (I-Conn.) joined a group led by wavering moderate Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and helped bring Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) on board to save the bill, which passed Tuesday with just enough votes in the Senate.

Lieberman, still a villain in the liberal blogosphere, has now emerged as a key ally for a new Democratic president attempting to navigate a Senate with quickly hardening partisan lines …

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