Sen. Reid is obviously bitter about Sen. Lieberman’s decision to campaign for Sen. McCain during the presidential race. Does he have a right to be? Absolutely. But what does the senate gain by removing him from his chairmanships in Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs?

This removal is purely a demonstration of power, intended to send Lieberman sulking toward the lesser republicans with his senatorial tail between his legs. If removed as predicted, Sen. Lieberman will probably continue to vote along traditional democrat party lines, and Reid probably anticipates this; so he is not losing a vote (unless it is on the War on Terror). 

But the senate does lose a well-established senator who commands great respect from any administration. By publicly “punishing” him they will have inadvertently undermined their own authority: Reid put him there in the first place, but now he admits his own poor judgment…

Israel also loses a powerful advocate for them, which will undoubtedly cause national consternation and aggravate an already skeptical view of an Obama administration. 

Finally, this is a slap in the face to the bipartisanship message the democrats have preached over the past two years. The “partisanship and pettiness… that has poisoned our politics” Obama so alliterively spoke of in his victory speech seems typified in these actions.

Is Sen. Ried justified if he removes Sen. Lieberman from power? Yes, but the implied “change” will be the punishment and abandonment of those who resist. Hardly a bipartisan effort.