Taking Control

I found this to be a fascinating encounter:

Returning to the Senate after his securing the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama and Lieberman greeted each on the Senate floor in the Well as they were voting on the budget resolution.

They shook hands. But Obama didn’t let go, leading Lieberman - cordially - by the hand across the room into a corner on the Democratic side, where Democratic sources tell ABC News he delivered some tough words for the junior senator from Connecticut, who had just minutes before hammered Obama's speech before the pro-Israel group AIPAC in a conference call arranged by the McCain campaign.

I would have liked to be the proverbial fly on the wall. I'm encouraged by things like this. Obama has been a (mostly) great campaigner and candidate. It'll be interesting to see what sort of a leader he can be, and being a party leader does mean hammering the mavericks into line. I like the fact that he is now free to flex a little muscle, and if he can do it be persuasion or charm then it of course is better than brute force. If he can neutralize or at least mitigate the "Zell Lieberman" effect, that would be great. I wonder how much weight a personal reminder that Obama supported Lieberman in 2006 actually will carry? Hard to guess.

Also, I read that Obama has installed his own man at the DNC today, and ratified Dean as the DNC leader, so it's nice to see him consolidating control of the party as well. It really is his party now.