“I hear you have some kind of a famous Internet thing.” –professor who shall remain nameless

If Joe Lieberman wins as an independent, will he keep his seniority? There are conflicting signals:

Reid, the Senate Democratic leader, does not want to wrestle with these questions in public before the Nov. 7 election.

“The caucus won’t make any decisions until after the elections in November,� said Reid’s spokesman, Jim Manley.

While that response implies that Lieberman’s status is to be decided by the entire caucus, senior Democratic aides say questions of seniority are largely decided by Reid.

Lieberman said he would keep his senior position in the caucus, even though he lost Connecticut’s Democratic primary, and is running against Democratic nominee Ned Lamont, whom the Senate Democratic leadership has endorsed.

“That’s what I’ve been told,� said Lieberman in an interview Friday, before Congress recessed for the election. “Caucuses like to keep as many members as they can, not discourage membership,� implying that leaders risk his defection to the GOP if they strip him of seniority.

They’re quacking about this in Kosland, of course. But really, it makes perfect sense. Why the hell should Lieberman show any loyalty to the Democrats if they reward his 18 years of loyal service and consistent liberal voting record by stripping him of seniority? At that point, I personally would have no problem with him jumping ship. Kos & co. will portray it as a pure power grab, but that’s self-evidently wrong: if Lieberman were interested in power above principle, he would have either cynically abandoned his support for the war in 2003 like Kerry, Edwards, etc., thus possibly becoming serious presidential contender and certainly preventing the Lamont rebellion from happening in the first place; or else he would have jumped ship long ago, currying favor with the Republicans and joining their majority or maybe even the Bush Administration itself. Anyway, it simply isn’t necessary to cry “power grab” in order to explain a hypothetical Lieberman defection in the event the Democrats revoke his seniority. Such a move could be perfectly well explained by the fact that the Democrats would at that point be totally and completely saying “screw you” to Lieberman (not to mention “screw the voters of Connecticut,” who duly re-elected him in this scenario), and Lieberman would very naturally not want to respond by saying “oh well, aw shucks guys, okay, I’ll just get in the back of the line then… thanks for noticing me.” Why the hell should anyone expect him to do that? It’s ridiculous! At some point, when your former friends and allies show an endless willingness to kick you in the face over and over again, you’re not going to stand there and take it anymore.

What it really comes down to this. The Kos Kidz think all it’ll take to convince Lieberman to switch is a better offer from the GOP, regardless of the Dems’ actions:

Were the GOP to offer to honor his seniority to jump ship, what are the chances of his refusing that offer? Slim to none in my book. And it’s not an unlikely scenario at all should he be returned to the Senate and the Democrats make enough gains to approach a tied Senate.

No, it’s not unlikely, indeed I’d say it’s nearly 100% certain if the Democrats win 50 or 51 seats… REGARDLESS of whether the Dems revoke Lieberman’s seniority. That is to say, if Republicans need Lieberman, they will try to lure him over, even if the Democrats aren’t revoking his seniority. Just like the Dems did with Jeffords, the Republicans will offer him plum committee assignments, a seniority bonus, a really nice office, some bling :) … whatever it takes. And here’s the rub: Lieberman will turn them down, UNLESS the Democrats give him a very, very good reason to do otherwise. In other words, if faced with the choice of having somewhat less power on the Democratic side — but not being totally screwed over — versus having somewhat more power on the Republican side, Lieberman will do what he’s always done, and follow his principles: he’ll stay with the Dems. But if his Democratic “friends” spit in his face and say “yeah, you’ve been here for 18 years; so what? get in the back of the line, buddy,” then — and only then — will Lieberman give serious consideration to caucusing with GOP (regardless of the majority/minority situation). And at that point, he’ll be completely within his rights to do so, as far as I’m concerned. He’ll still vote as he always has, as an independent-minded progressive (which would make him a very odd member of the GOP caucus), but in terms of caucusing, it’s ridiculous to expect him to stay on the Democratic team if the Democratic leadership is going to send the unabashed message that “you’re not welcome here anymore.” At that point, Lieberman could very reasonably say, “I tried to be an ‘independent Democrat,’ like I promised, but it turns out the Democrats aren’t interested in independent-minded people anymore. They told me to take a hike. So now I’m just an independent, not affiliated with either major party. But, for purposes of caucusing, I had to pick a side, so I decided to caucus with the only party that was willing to respect my independence, which sadly, turns out to be the Republicans.”

Really, though, I don’t think it will come to this. Frank Lautenberg is offering Harry Reid a very attractive “out”:

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.)…views Lieberman’s independent status as an opportunity to press Democratic leaders to restore seniority he lost four years ago.

If Lautenberg retrieves seniority accrued during 18 years of Senate service before retiring in 2000, he could leapfrog Lieberman to lead the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee or the Environment and Public Works Committee [if the Democrats take back the Senate majority].

Lieberman has served 18 years in the upper chamber. Lautenberg has served a total of 22 years, but he has only four years of recognized seniority because he retired from Congress for two years in 2000.

Liberals don’t want Lieberman to be the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, because they plan to use that committee to vigorously investigate the Bush Administration if they take back the Senate. In point of fact, Lieberman would probably be a great man for the job, as he would certainly be willing to vigorously investigate where it’s actually justified, but not where it’s a mere political charade. Liberals, however, want a partisan witch hunt, not a fair-minded investigation (and mind you, that’s not a Dem-only insult; the same would true if the roles were reversed), so they don’t want Lieberman. Well, Lautenberg is the perfect answer to that dilemma. He can prevent the “Chairman Lieberman Nightmare Scenario” without forcing the Democratic leadership to metaphorically spit in Joe’s face and virtually push him into the Republican caucus. So that’s what I think will happen, if Lieberman is re-elected and the Dems take back the Senate: Lieberman keeps his seniority, but Lautenberg gets his old seniority back and is chosen to lead the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

(Hat tip: InstaPundit.)

The Washington Times is calling for Speaker Hastert to resign over Foleygate.

A fourth girl has died in the hospital from injuries received when a gunman stormed an Amish school. Visit CNN for the latest.

We haven’t heard any news from Shannon, so presumably that means Logan hasn’t been born yet. If so, then if all went as planned, the doctors made the initial preparations for an induced labor this afternoon, and will induce Shannon bright and early tomorrow morning — starting at 8:30 AM, if I remember correctly. Methinks poor Shan isn’t going to get much sleep tonight… after all, she’s having a baby tomorrow!! That’s just a wee bit exciting, nerve-wracking, terrifying, etc.

Anyway, this final delay gives me just enough time to ask the question: Will Logan Middle-Name-To-Be-Determined Wanecski be the 300,000,000th American? Reuters reports: “Some time this month, the number of Americans will surpass 300 million.” Hey, forget “some time this month,” how about “some time tomorrow”? :)

P.S. Yeah, so the Census Bureau “predicts the 300 million mark will be reached in mid-October.” So what? The Census Bureau has been wrong before! We just need a whole lot of babies to be born in the next 12 hours, so that Logan can claim the honor of being #300,000,000. C’mon, pregnant women of America, PUSH!!! ;)

It’s about to get nasty — again — in South Bend. Heavy rain and lots of lightning is on its way. (Though it looks like the worst of it may pass to our southwest… too soon to tell for sure, though.)

It’s nasty up in Wisconsin, too. Not sure if that stuff will get to us later tonight.

UPDATE: The rain came through, with a fair amount of lightning to boot, but then the western sky cleared a short while before sunset, while the eastern sky remained stormy, creating a telltale contrast-heavy mixture of sunlight and dark clouds that made me think, “Hey, a rainbow might form!” So, I went outside with my camera and its extra lenses (telephoto and wide-angle), and sure enough, after I had waited patiently for a few minutes, a rainbow did indeed form. It wasn’t nearly as spectacular as the rainbow over the Dome, but still, it was purty. Later, a stubby mini-rainbow appeared on the opposite side.

But things really got spectacular as sunset got closer, and the crepuscular and anti-crepuscular rays started to appear:

Another cool shot: you can see the anti-crepuscular rays with the stubby mini-rainbow at bottom left here. Nice.

Full gallery here.

The county coroner says at least six people were killed in a shooting at an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, The Associated Press reports. Visit CNN for the latest.

Multiple people have been shot at an Amish school in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a state police spokesman says. Visit CNN for the latest.

ATTENTION CONNECTICUT READERS!!! I’m planning on buying tickets later today to the UConn-Army football game on October 14 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT. If you’re interested in attending, shoot me an e-mail ASAP at tips [at] brendanloy.com.

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Former Rep. Mark Foley of Florida has checked into a rehabilitation facility and is undergoing treatment for alcoholism, his attorney tells CNN. Visit CNN for the latest.

An awesome line of thunderstorms moved through the area this morning, preceded by one of the spookiest, most ominous-looking skies I’ve ever seen, featuring lots of small-scale rotation and clouds moving very quickly in all different directions. I wasn’t the only one alarmed; WNDU Channel 4 got a lot of phone calls from concerned residents. Luckily, there was no large-scale rotation of the sort that can produce tornadoes, and in fact, the thunderstorms weren’t even severe. It was quite a sky show, though. Photo gallery here.

Here’s a video clip containing a pair of movies that I took with my digital camera at 9:20 at 9:21 AM, accelerated to five times normal speed so it’s easier to see the cloud movements. In the first part of the clip, you can definitely see some rotation in the cloud overhead. In the second part, you can see how the clouds are moving in different directions, and how the sky just looks generally creepy.

source file

After the jump, another video sequence, then a radar loop of the storm, and then the original version of this post, as it appeared in real time.

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One giant leap for Trojan-kind.

There’s been a lot of talk about USC wide receiver Steve Smith’s performance against Washington State, stepping up his game to make up for the injury to Dwayne Jarrett. Conquest Chronicles named him the “stud” of the game. The Daily Breeze’s Phil Collin says “Smith made his mark” against the Cougars. The L.A. Times’s J.A. Adande says Smith “picked a good day to step to the forefront.”

That’s all true, and Smith deserves the praise, but I’m standing by what I said at the time: the player of the game was punter Greg Woidneck, the 6-foot-0, 195-pound redshirt sophomore transfer from Arizona State, for a game-saving play that isn’t getting enough nearly attention, IMHO. The Press-Enterprise describes it thusly:

Punting from his own 40 with 1:10 left, USC’s Greg Woidneck had to make as athletic a catch as any by Smith just to pull in Will Collins’ bullet of a snap that was heading for the USC end zone on a bounce if Woidneck hadn’t grabbed it with his fingertips at the highest point of his leap.

“I hopped a little bit on it, too,” USC coach Pete Carroll admitted, “as high as Woidneck did.”

But Woidneck got off a 37-yard, end-over-end punt as USC once more managed to do what it needed to…get out of here unbeaten.

Granted, statistically speaking, Woidneck is no Tom Malone… and his name isn’t nearly as fun to say as kickoff man Troy Van Blarcom… but how many punters can say they’ve made a play which single-handedly preserved a team’s chances at a national championship? Usually, when punters change the course of a season, they do so in the role of goat, like Minnesota’s Justin Kucek last year. (Whenever I see that video clip, I always think, “Take the safety, kid! Take the freakin’ safety!” Alas, he never does.) But not Woidneck. He’s a bona fide hero. As Carroll said, that ball was within “an eyelash [of] being over his head” … and with USC’s lead just 6 points in the game’s final minute, that very likely translates into the Cougars being within an eyelash of winning the game outright in regulation.

Put another way: the Trojans almost Coug’d it. :) But Woidneck wouldn’t let that happen.

Anyway, the point of this post is simply to say: thanks, Greg, for proving that white men can jump, and saving our season in the process. Trojan Nation is in your debt.


Greg Woidneck, IrishTrojan.com Player of the Week.

BEAT THE HUSKIES!!

So, over the weekend, I’m perusing the Notre Dame page of the AOL Fanhouse blog when I notice an intriguing headline pop up on “The Word”: Kirk Herbstreit Calls Erin Andrews “Poopsie”. I think to myself, “Yeah, I think I remember hearing that, and wondering, ‘What the hell?’” So I click the link. It says:

Kirk Herbstreit took time out of [Thursday’s Tigers-Cocks game] broadcast to apologize to South Carolina fans for wearing an orange tie. He said his wife chose the tie and had no idea what teams were playing tonight. Of course, he may just have to apologize to his wife for the sorta-flirty-and-intimate reference to sideline reporter Erin Andrews as “Poopsie”.

Not much information there. A bit of Googling, however, brings me to this post with more details and, uh, analysis of the situation:

After watching the Thursday night game between Auburn and South Carolina, I decided enough is enough. Let’s get it out there and see a show of hands – who thinks Kirk Herbstreit and Erin Andrews are getting it on? Herbstreit has been married since 1998, has 3 year-old twin boys, and a house just north of Columbus, OH. Week after week, his poor wife must witness the endless flirting on national television. In fact, I almost felt obligated to hop in the car and drive to Columbus to console and maybe sleep with his hot wife when I heard Herbstreit say to Andrews, “Poopsie, you should get back in the tent.�

Further Googling reveals that this is hardly the first time the blogosphere has engaged in shameless, gossipy Herbstreit-Andrews speculation. For instance, more than three weeks ago, Mark May Be Wrong discussed the “over/under” on “the number of times Kirk bangs the bejesus out of Erin Andrews after one of their Thursday Night games.” Hurrah for new betting opportunities! :) But the most extensive Kirk-and-Erin talk that I could find was at Barstool Sports, which has a whole discussion on the question: “Do you think Kirk Herbstreit is banging Erin Andrews?”

Now, let us all collectively wag our fingers at this awful blogospheric intrusion in the private lives of poor Mr. Herbstreit and Ms. Andrews… and then gossip about them in comments. :)

You see? You see?? You let gay people get married, and the next thing you know, puffer fish are having threesomes with snails!

Robbie got a treat this evening, as his doggie friends Brady (left), a lab-chow mix, and Ollie (right), a puggle, were out when I took him for a walk. I let him run around with them, which is always entertaining. Robbie doesn’t seem to understand that he’s faster than them, so he’ll run away and then turn around, waiting for them to catch up, seemingly confused about why they can’t keep up with him. Heh. Dumb dog. :)