Most awesome political prediction ever

Several days ago Steven Benen wrote a piece for TalkingPointsMemo in which he kicked around the possibility that no Republican presidential candidate will be able to win a majority of convention delegates next summer. His point was that they may end up with a brokered convention in which one of the nominees is shoved down the party's throat by the likes of Cheney and Big Business (for example), or else a so-called unity candidate might be shoved down that same orifice or perhaps the one south of the border.

I sent an email to Benen with a bold yet completely logical prediction: after the Republican candidates destroy each other and themselves, as is happening apace every day, the party will turn to two saviors who are completely beneath the radar at the moment. By comparison to the current crew, they will look clean and serious. I'm talking about Sen. Joe Lieberman (Ind-CT) for President and Gen. Dave Petraeus for VP. Benen did not reply, probably on the theory that I'm an ignorant crackpot.

A Lieberman/Petraeus Republican ticket would be the political equivalent of asymmetric warfare, and it would have Democratic leadership perplexed for weeks. They'll never see it coming and won't be able to decide how to respond. They'd be pre-out-triangulated.

Think about it: Lieberman gambled his career last year by snuggling up to despised Republicans to prove his "national security" qualifications, and he won. He has no future in a progressive Democratic Party, if such a thing should ever emerge. And now it is even being reported that he will endorse a Republican (McCain) for President, so Lieberman has pretty much already abandoned the Democrats and slipped them a green weenie besides.

Yes, Lieberman is Jewish, which the Cracker-Industrial Complex tends not to like. But I'm sure Republican propagandists could sell Joe to the party base as a "good Jew" to serve their current purposes. And for many "middle of the road" voters, who Republicans will need to dupe once again to keep the White house in 2008, Lieberman's nonstandard religion will not be an issue; it will even give those voters a reason to feel all proud of themselves for being "tolerant." And anyway, Joe would be balanced on the ticket by Petraeus, who is a soldier with name recognition, goddammit, and one who is associated with the Christian "brand."

Now don't forget where you first read this awesome prediction; later you can share my 1.5 minutes of fame by proxy.