Odd Couple

The convention reception of Senator Lieberman struck me as less generous than the man deserves. This is a political moderate who was once nominated by the Democrats for vice-president. If he thought first of healing his rift with his party, he himself might dream of the Presidency. Perhaps delusionally -- he's a lousy campaigner -- but politics are full of deluded people. Instead he is opposing his party and a truly historic nomination from conviction that this moment requires better leadership.

This convention is, and Denver was, full of people who are less decent and principled and wise than men like Joe Lieberman and John McCain. That's a real problem for McCain, whose candidacy would be an odd fit in any political party. He's an anti-institutional figure trying to use an institutional apparatus to take power. I'm not sure it can work.