Maddow Guest Jane Hamsher: Democrats Could Close Groton Sub Base to Punish Lieberman

Joining Rachel Maddow on her MSNBC show Thursday to vent about that pesky wabbit Joe Lieberman was Fire Dog Lake firedoglake blogger Jane Hamsher.

Democrats wield considerable leverage over Lieberman, Hamsher opined, to keep him from joining a GOP filibuster of ObamaCare or punish him if he does --

MADDOW: ... I think you're right to point out that other senators sort of gently expressing their disapproval of his proverbial toplessness at this point is a bigger deal than it would be in the real world, that their words do actually sort of calibrate differently. But what leverage can they really bring to bear on him in order to get him to get in line?

HAMSHER: Well, as you say, there are people who do have influence over Joe Lieberman. Joe has his committee chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee, that's his power base in the Senate. He's a very vain man and were that to be stripped from him, he would be like Rumpelstiltskin putting his foot through the floor. And the Democrats have the power to do that. So again, the Harkin, Conrad comments today were to the effect of, you know, let's, let's remember, you're here at our good graces, Joe.

But, you know, he also needs the sub base at Groton, which is, you know, the submarine version of the F-22, in order to stay in the good graces of Connecticut's citizens while he does stuff like this, and that's something that could, you know, potentially go as well.

Silly me, thinking such decisions, you know, should be based on national security considerations and not, you know, vindictive partisan politics. You know?

Hamsher does deserve credit, however. At least she's willing to state aloud what Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod will utter only behind closed doors.

Earlier in the segment, Hamsher made a revealing slip that suggests where she sees herself in the order of the universe --

HAMSHER: Well, I think it's a mistake to think of the Senate as an august body, possibly the most powerful deliberative body in the world, and instead think of us as it being in day four of a beauty pageant.

What's this "us" stuff, paleface?

Day four of a beauty pageant in which the blinding blonde stumbles off the catwalk.