Lieberman's Double Play?

TITUSVILLE, FL -- Barack Obama hopes that John McCain returns to the Senate and takes the role as leader of the "loyal opposition ... in the minority," he said this morning.

"It is important to have a strong opposition that is keeping you on your toes, giving you a hard time and calling you out if you are not doing what you say your gonna  to do," he said, responding to a question about what McCain and Sen., Joe Lieberman would do "when" Obama is president.

As others have noticed, if McCain picks Joe Lieberman, Lieberman ought to resign his seat immediately. That'd give Gov. Jodi Rell (R) the chance to appoint a Republican to fill Lieberman's seat, thereby tipping the balance of power in the Senate to the Republicans, and giving McCain a little more of an edge in the fall, when Congress's existence is generally limited to trying to embarrass the minority party's presidential candidate. There are really no indications that McCain is thinking about Lieberman, but there's nothing to say he's not, either.

Obama, by the way, did not mention Joe Lieberman in his remarks.