And, Finally, For July ... Please, Joe, JUST GO AWAY!

Shame on Joe Lieberman for attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the unexpected victor over fourth-ranked U.S. House Democrat Joe Crowley in the primary election for Crowley's seat, as being "too lefty" for the Democrats and their November chances.

I have to admit that I do not have an unalloyed brief for Ocasio-Cortez.  She's obviously a tremendous new talent, and knows how to touch on a lot of bread-and-butter issues in a way that Democrats used to do routinely, and seemingly have long since forgotten how to do.  At the same time, she's a political rookie, and political rookies make political rookie mistakes, whether its about explaining how you will pay for your promises (as she did the other night in an interview with Trevor Noah), or in denouncing the Israeli shooting of Palestinian protesters at the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, doing the latter in an artless way that left her open to charges of anti-Semitism from those who live to make such charges to score cheap political points.

On cue, regarding the latter mishap, enter Joe Lieberman, stage right, carrying a dagger.  He immediately pounced and demanded that all true Democrats do the "centrist" thing and vote for Crowley, still on the fall ballot on a third-party ticket.  According to Joe, only by blatantly stabbing the party's nominee in the back can we all truly enable the party to "reach across the aisle and get things done."  Republican things, to be sure, but things nevertheless.

You know, like the Iraq war, which Joe supported.

Or John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, which Joe supported to the extent of reaching across the aisle all the way to the GOP convention.

Or like his 2000 running mate on the Democratic ticket, Al Gore, who he stabbed in the back by publicly declaring that the Florida recount effort should be ended, even while the Gore campaign was still pursuing a recount.

In many respects, Joe is every bit as much of a narcissist as Donald Trump:  so in love with his public image that he can't quite see the feet of clay upon which it rests.  I met him at a fundraiser for his 2004 Presidential campaign (it's a long story, and I won't go into it here), and was decidedly unimpressed.  He seem less like a person and more like a fribble.

A fribble who will not go aways.  Please go, Joe.  You've damaged democracy enough for the sake of your self-righteousness.  It can't take any more of you, and neither can we.