One of the dumber political discussions I currently see on the Internet is whether Joe Lieberman should withdraw from the Connecticut senate race for the good of the Democratic Party and who might be able to convince him to do this. It's dumb because it's never going to happen…and this is not even a criticism of Joe Lieberman. It's simply the way politics is: Elected officials (or even people who come close to becoming elected officials) act out of personal preservation. They may say they're putting the party or their country ahead of their own personal needs and desires but no one ever does and it's silly to expect it.
Richard Nixon was especially obvious about this. Time and again, especially during the Watergate scandal, he'd say something like, "I will make my decision based on what's best for America." And then he'd make his decision based on what he thought was best for Richard Nixon. Once in a while, they corresponded but never was self-interest anything but the first consideration.
That's how they all function. Each and every one of them, including the good guys.
Because politicians' careers are all based on a simple premise: Electing me is what's good for the people. Joe Lieberman has spent his entire political life selling the notion that the best thing for the voters of Connecticut is to elect Joe Lieberman. He must believe it. Even if deep down, he thought Ned Lamont or the Republican candidate (whose name few will ever learn) would do a better job…well, that's the kind of thought that never makes it to the surface.
Lieberman may withdraw from the race but if he does, it'll be because the polls and his campaign coffers are low and he decides he'd be better off getting out and looking like a hero to some than staying in and looking like a loser to all. Maybe someone will even offer him something tempting, like 72 virgins or a new career. (I like the suggestion I saw on one blog that Fox News should hire him to replace Alan Colmes on Hannity and Colmes. He'd be perfect for that, defending Liberal values but never in a way that offends those who think Liberals do the work of Satan.)
But right now, the polls aren't out, his campaign seems to have enough money — maybe even to hire someone who knows how to set up a website — and he stands a very good chance of retaining his seat in the senate. And discussing who might be able to persuade the man to throw himself on a grenade for the good of the party is a waste of time because he's not going to do it. Nobody would.