All smugness aside, the photo is completely disingenuous. Planted between these two chairs, the suggestion in this NYT image is that Lieberman is straddling between the two parties -- with the jury out in terms of where he might park.
...Yeah, right. And that's probably the Olbermann show on the telly, too!
In spite of the headline "Lieberman Finds Middle a Tricky Path," there is only one chair when it comes to Lieberman, and it's not the left one, in spite of any nominal justification to be made. Even the article bears this out with Lieberman only partially caucusing with the Dems, at least on the day describe, with he and his Democratic colleagues barely able to remain civil.
If you read Greg Sargent's piece at TPM, however, you'll see what the Times left out. Given Lieberman's promise in '06 to support the Democratic nominee, we get another read on the chairs. Whereas between the two candidates, no question should have existed as to where he stood, Joe instead makes a wedge.
For more of the visual, visit BAGnewsNotes.com -- and, if you're attending Netroots Nation this week, come see my visual tour of ObamaPhobia at the Don't Think of Violence panel on Saturday afternoon.
(image: Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times. 2008. Washington)