The Price of Failure? Harry's gotta go.

And so Joe Lieberman, the double-talking, prevaricating Senator representing Aetna and the rest of the insurance cartel has made his stand. Little Joe will achieve some measure of payback against the left, who've rightly seen him as a tool of big-money interests, by gutting from the Health Care bill any chance of a public option or Medicare at 55. I'd like to thank the Senator for showing the world, in the starkest fashion, the pathology of the small man consumed by the excesses of egotism.

He's singularly backed down progressives, liberals, the White House, and the Democratic caucuses of both houses of Congress. He is, indeed, Mighty Joe Dung.

One would think this would be a lesson for the Democrats, but I remain skeptical of the ability of the donks to take away anything of value from such a harsh upbraiding. They never seem to learn. I doubt that Traitor Joe will ever be punished for this series of transgressions, which have gone far beyond anything I've seen in the Senate in the 35 years I've followed politics. Democrats seem to have no stomach for dropping the hammer on their enfant terribles, no matter how egregious their duplicity and treachery. At the end of all this, Joe the Aetna Ho is likely to keep his chairmanship and status in the caucus, and probably looks forward to the next time he can pull Harry Reid's nose and kick his shins.

I think the only way this changes is, because of this failure in this test of his leadership, Reid steps down as Majority Leader and is replaced by Dick Durbin. Durbin should then (and I'm betting the farm he has enough balls to do it) strip Lieberman of his chairmanship, his office space, and, if necessary, kick him out of the caucus. Durbin should then tell Blanche Lincoln not to expect much help from the DSCC in her upcoming election, and he should schedule a couple of "come to Jesus" meetings with Mary Landreux, Evan Bayh, and Ben Nelson, hopefully reinforcing their understanding of what's expected and required from them. I think Durbin understands the concept of tough love, and I believe he'll be more helpful to this president than Reid has been. I believe it's time for Democrats to demand that Harry Reid step down.