Joe Lieberman should be stripped of his Democratic Party committe chairmanship. Here's why.

At 2:53

And that brings me directly to why I'm here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this?

Well, I'll tell you what. I'm here because country matters more than party.

I am here tonight for a simple reason. John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead America forward.

Joe's own party loyalty seems to have been tossed out of the window completely in this speech. Fine, that's Joe's choice, but let's listen further...

At 4:10

And dear friends, I am here tonight because John McCain's whole life testifies to a great truth. Being a Democrat or a Republican is important, but it is nowhere near as important as being an American.

Excuse me, Joe - but are you suggesting that John McCain is an American and Barack Obama isn't?

But where Joe Lieberman clealry and intentionally cross the party line, and in my view deserves to be stripped of his committee chairmanship, is with this passage at 4:45

I think you know that both presidential candidates this year have talked about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and special interests that are poisoning our politics.

But, my friends, only one of them has actually done it.

Only one of them has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people. And that one is John S. McCain!

Lieberman minimizing Obama's accomplishments at reaching across the aisle is not surprising. That was a major McCain campaign talking point, and hitting those talking points in convention speeches is mandatory.

But Lieberman suggesting that Obama doesn't have "the courage and capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people" was over the line. Supporting his choice in McCain is one thing, but Democrat Joe is no longer a Democrat when he makes statements like that.

According to ABC News, Joe Lieberman "made a hard push to remain chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, suggesting he may leave the Democratic caucus if he is demoted."

It's naive to expect partisanship in Washington to come to a screeching halt now that American voters have clearly mandated a "reach across the aisle" approach. While I expect Obama will far exceed McCain's prior accomplishments in reach across the aisle, the aisle will still exist, and there will be issues that continue to be divided by party line politics.

Lieberman crossed the line, and so where the line is still drawn Joe Lieberman no longer stands on the Democratic Party's side. He made that choice, and voiced his choice clearly on live, national television during the Republican convention. Let him sit now with his Republican friends and enjoy the fruits of the Republican Party's failures in he 2008 election.

The voters have spoken and the majority didn't side with Joe -- and therefore Joe should no longer side with the majority party in Congress. Joe chose, the voters chose, and everyone must now live with those choices and make the best of it.

That includes you, me -- and Joe Lieberman.