I missed most of this today, but this kind of politicking embarrasses everyone associated with it:

Reverends Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton visited Mount Aery Baptist Church in Bridgeport to announced their endorsement of challenger Ned Lamont in his campaign against Sen. Joseph Lieberman. A picture of Lieberman in 'blackface' on a Lamont supporter's blog drew criticism from both sides. ...

This campaign has apparently hit a new low today with something offensive, and that is putting it mildly. The popular Huffington Post blog, which has strongly supported Lamont's candidacy, posted a picture today depicting President Clinton and Joe Lieberman in an Amos n Andy-type doctored picture obviously taken from the Waterbury rally last Monday. In the picture, Lieberman is drawn in blackface and Clinton is wearing dark sunglasses.

Lamont's campaign manager Tom Swan condemned this, calling it very offensive and said he requested that it be removed. He also said that while blogger Jane Hamsher is a supporter, she is not on the campaign pay-roll.

"It's extremely offensive," Lieberman said. "I have been the target of the 'blogs' on a lot of really offensive stuff, stuff I consider lies and smears, but this picture of me with Bill Clinton and me having my face blackened is offensive to people of all races and colors and just doesn't belong."

The photoshop artist didn't just blacken Lieberman's face -- they put a minstrel-show suit and tie on the picture as well. Michelle Malkin and Hot Air have commented extensively on this, as has Tom Maguire and many others, bit no one can come up with a rational idea as to why Jane Hamsher would have posted this. Did she think that this was a pithy little statement regarding Lieberman's views on race? Or did she really think it would read -- as she claimed -- that Lieberman was a phony?

Hatred makes people do embarrassing things, and Hamsher isn't the first to demonstrate that. However, one has to wonder why Arianna Huffington allowed it on her site. Is she a Lieberman hater too? Or was she foolish enough to buy Hamsher's explanation of the picture's meaning?

It really is difficult to understand what a mainstream Democratic politician has done to inspire such hatred and vitriol. In fact, it's becoming more and more obvious that Lieberman hasn't done anything to inspire it, but just that the haters on the Left have set their sights on Lieberman this cycle. They will do and say anything to destroy him, and this is about as low as it could get. Lieberman doesn't deserve this kind of treatment after his years of honorable public service. He's not my favorite by any means, but that doesn't mean he should have to suffer this kind of despicable treatment at the hands of his own party.

This is what the activist, radical Left have planned for America if they win control in November -- character assassinations and smear campaigns. If they enjoy doing this to Lieberman, imagine what they'll do to the rest of us.

UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt has a great post, noting Arianna's huffery on the Mel Gibson story and contrasting it with her expurgation of the photo and silence afterward. Stand up and be counted, indeed!

Mark Coffey also has some thoughts about that.

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» Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: The Jane Hamsher “Black-Face” Flap from FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
Hugh Hewitt has Mel Gibson and Jane Hamsher: The Arianna Connection Radioblogger has the “disappeared” photoshop effort put out by Jane Hamsher and notes that the HuffingtonPost is much more adept at hiding the evidence of bigotry than any... [Read More]

Tracked on August 2, 2006 8:13 PM

» Ok, so, basically, the left has lost its mind, now, right? from The Anchoress
I mean…this is how they treat their friends?. You must know what I’m talking about, right? The Lieberman-in-blackface nonsense that had been posted over at Huffpo, until it was taken down. Joe Lieberman, former Veep candidate, former &#... [Read More]

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Tracked on August 3, 2006 7:17 AM

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