A Lieberman-Hannity Break-up?

Joe Lieberman and Sean Hannity get along famously. They have similar hobbies, like bashing the Democratic Party and saying wartime dissent is dangerous. They have warm interviews, swapping compliments like "you're a straight talker" and "you're a great American." (Lieberman even replied to the American compliment with a "you too, pal.") They have a political alliance, since Hannity has publicly offered his endorsement, a "big fundraiser in Connecticut" and help organizing conservatives for the Senator. Lieberman accepted the support in theory by saying, "I appreciate your friendship and I appreciate your support." And they have a standing "pledge" to talk on Hannity's program once a month.

Or at least they used to.

It appears that Lieberman has not been back since his infamous February 10 appearance, when the endorsement offers were made. A lot has happened since then. A candidate entered the primary to challenge Lieberman, his support dropped in the latest polls, and he bought television ads for the first time in over a decade. He is courting Democratic activists and touting his progressive credentials. Now it looks like Lieberman's election year strategy may include snubbing his friend Sean Hannity.

How does Hannity feel about all this?

For starters, he's always had a better grasp of how the relationship plays in Connecticut than its junior Senator. In the February interview, Hannity asked if an official endorsement would "hurt" Lieberman's "re-election efforts." He even floated the idea of opposing Lieberman if that was in his "best interests."

But we don't know how Hannity feels about getting completely snubbed, especially after assuring his audience that he would hold Lieberman to the pledge.

The only way to find out is to ask, which is exactly what Mike Stark is doing in a campaign this week. He's organizing people to call Hannity's radio show and ask him "why he isn't keeping his solemn vow to his audience [and] holding Joe Lieberman to his promise?"

Stark specializes in tangling with conservative talk radio hosts. He created the website "Calling All Wingnuts" to mobilize people to enter the conservative echo chamber and rebut spin with concise facts. The calls can make an immediate impact. (One of his campaigns drew on-air threats from Bill O'Reilly.)

All the callers that get through to Hannity will be recorded and posted at the site. So soon we should find out what Hannity thinks about Lieberman's absence, whether the pledge is history, and if those endorsements and fundraisers are still on the table. Maybe Lieberman will even explain his radio strategy. If he's avoiding conservative media in an effort to win back Democrats, he might as well say so. After all, election year pandering doesn't work if no one notices.