Below The Beltway

The idea of Joe Lieberman as John McCain’s running mate may still sound absurd, but even if it turns out to be the political wonk fantasy I think it is, there will still be Joe-mentum at the Republican convention:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic Party’s vice presidential candidate in 2000 and now an independent who is one of John McCain’s strongest supporters, will speak at the Republican National Convention, an official said.

Lieberman will deliver a speech when Republicans gather in St. Paul, Minn., to nominate McCain for president, a party official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The official requested anonymity because a formal announcement had yet to be made.

Asked during a visit to Georgia whether he would be speaking at the convention, Lieberman smiled and said: “it’s quite possible, but I’ll let them announce it.”

Lieberman, 66, caucuses with Senate Democrats, though has been a strong supporter of the Iraq war and is a staunch backer of McCain’s presidential bid, traveling often with the Arizona senator and campaigning on his behalf during the GOP primary in states like Florida that have large numbers of Jewish voters.

As he weighs potential running mates, McCain is believed to be seriously considering choosing Lieberman, whom he counts among his closest friends, for the GOP ticket. Lieberman’s convention speaking slot doesn’t indicate either way whether McCain ultimately will choose his friend for the No. 2 slot.

So basically, Lieberman will be the Zell Miller of 2008; although I doubt that Lieberman’s speech will be as memorable as Miller’s diatribe against the nominee of his former party.

So Lieberman will speak. But does that mean Republicans would accept him as their Vice-Presidential nominee ?

For some, the answer is a clear no:

The NRA gave him an F. He is endorsed by advocates of abortion rights and gay rights. And, oh, yeah, he was Al Gore’s running mate and remains a registered Democrat.

With a deep laugh, even Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut has questioned if he would be a smart vice presidential pick for his friend, Republican John McCain.

But the Associated Press and the Politico, a respected online news site, each reported Tuesday that Lieberman, a self-proclaimed “independent Democrat,” remains among McCain’s potential running mates.

And those stories already are riling the right. A horrified Rush Limbaugh told his listeners that he considered the reports on Lieberman to be a serious trial balloon.

“It’s not a head fake, apparently, it’s a serious float,” Limbaugh said. “McCain’s trying to gauge, take the temperature of delegates to the convention and these high donors. This is tough because I like Joe Lieberman a lot. He’s a fine guy.”

Larry Sabato, a political analyst at the University of Virginia, said that McCain is playing with a disaster at the Republican National Convention by allowing his staff to float Lieberman’s name.

“I’ll be shocked if it happens,” Sabato said. “The convention would be roiled. There would be a walkout.”

I’m not sure that I agree with Sabato that it would be that bad, but it would certainly turn what is supposed to be a well-managed convention into at least momentary chaos, which is exactly the opposite of what McCain needs. More importantly, it would seriously alienate a significant part of the Republican base that McCain has to keep in order to win the election and it’s unlikely that picking Lieberman would bring in enough Democratic voters to make up the difference.

Unless they are incredibly stupid or John McCain is incredibily stubborn, I can’t believe that this Lieberman chatter is anything other than an indication of just how bored political pundits are right now.