(Updates x 5) Lieberman Keeps Homeland Security Gavel

Update 5: See this diary by Hunter at Daily Kos. It expresses much of what I feel about the behavior of the Senate Dems.
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Update 4: See What's the Word with Peter St. Cyr to read Sen. Jeff Bingaman's excuse for voting to keep Lieberman at the Homeland Security helm. The post's title is a bit deceiving, reporting "Bingaman Votes to Rebuke Lieberman." While technically true, what was agreed upon by the Dem Senate caucus hardly qualifies as a genuine rebuke. Also, it might be helpful if Sen. Bingaman moved into the 21st century and started releasing his statements to local bloggers as well as the trad media.
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Update 3: If the video above isn't enough to make you sick, I don't know what will. It's like a textbook example of what's wrong with government, and especially the Democratic caucus in the Senate. No, Leader Harry, it's not about "retribution." It's about effectively and efficiently working for the Democratic values our candidates ran and won on. "Unity" is not created by repeated caving to those who work against what we allegedly believe in. Unity is achieved using leadership, something that is evidently still in very short supply despite recent rhetoric.
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Update 2: According to , incoming Sen. Tom Udall was one of the Dems who supported allowing Lieberman to keep his prime committee chairmanship. Bad start Mr. Udall. Trying to get brownie points from the seniority bosses even before you're sworn in? Not a good sign.
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Update 1: The New York Times has more:

Democratic senators voted instead to strip Mr. Lieberman of a subcommittee chairmanship on the Environment and Public Works Committee, a slap on the wrist compared with the prospect of losing the homeland security leadership post.

“He’s part of this caucus,” the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, said after the Democratic caucus voted behind closed doors. “We are not looking back. We are looking forward.”

Mr. Lieberman, who had angered many Democrats by campaigning for Mr. McCain, his longtime friend, emerged from the private session looking pleased. He called the result “fair and forward-looking” and one of “reconciliation and not retribution.”

He said he was looking forward to working with President-elect Barack Obama — whom he criticized during the campaign — “to keep the American people secure at home” as well as abroad.

Before the meeting, Mr. Lieberman said he was optimistic. “I’m going into a roomful of friends,” he told The Associated Press.

Friends? More like partners in crime, cowardice and self-interest. A special shout-out to Sen. Chris Dodd for caring more about preserving his fellow Connecticut Senator's clout than doing what's right. We'll never know much about how the Senators came down on this issue as the vote was secret.

As reported in the Washington Post, the vote was 42-13 to accept this "compromise." I also note that Harry Reid stated that Lieberman "is a Democrat" and "part of this caucus." Funny, he didn't run as a Democrat in Connecticut in 2006 -- he ran as a member of a party of one called "Connecticut for Lieberman."
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Why am I not surprised? As reported by Reuters:

Senate Democrats on Tuesday yielded to the wishes of President-elect Barack Obamaand allowed Joe Lieberman to keep his committee chairmanship despite having backed Republican John McCain for the White House, Sen. Tom Harkin of Iowa said. Emerging from a closed-door meeting, Harkin told reporters that Democrats had stripped Lieberman of a subcommittee chairmanship, a far lesser punishment.

Nothing like rewarding a pompous, dishonest non-Democrat for helping to smear our presidential nominee and several other candidates publicly and with relish. Not only that, but Joementum has been incredibly lousy as the chair of the Homeland Security committee, failing to hold any hearings on the Katrina crimes OR the pork free for all in Iraq and beyond. I'm sure he'll continue doing nothing to help our cause in the next Congress but, unfortunately, we seem to have a crew of Senators who are starting out this new era of change in the same way they've behaved for the past eight years -- like they're afraid of their own shadows. And Obama didn't help. Anyone have any bets on how many times Lieberman will vote with the Dems to break a threatened Repub filibuster in the Senate?