Joe Lieberman played coy, but didn't dispute the notion that he was John McCain's first choice for VP in a MSNBC Morning Joe interview Tuesday.

Joe Scarborough framed the question this way: McCain wanted to go with Joe, but his closest advisors "sat him down" and told him that he couldn't go with a pro-choice quasi-Dem, for fear of completely alienating the Republican base. Scarborough then said that he had heard that Lieberman himself had warned off McCain.  Joementum dismissed the latter, but did confirm that he had been short-listed, and "in the green room" waiting for McCain's decision.

I see a few issues here.  First, this is butt-covering damage control.  With all of the issues now pinned on Palin, McCain is trying to skirt the vetting issue by saying that it's not his fault...he had to scramble because the fundies wouldn't let him have his first choice. 

But more importantly, this (if true) reads like a huge "F-U" by McCain out towards the conservatives.  He wanted Joe L., but "they" wouldn't let him have his way.  So his response?  "You want red-meat wingnut? I'll give you a red-meat wingnut!"

Stay with me here...this could explain the vetting.  McCain could have known about Troopergate and the rest, and petulantly dismissed them...doesn't matter if she's a flawed candidate...she's idealogically "pure." 

It's an irrational, self-destructive reaction, but McCain does have anger management issues, right?  Who thinks coherently when they're in a rage?

And finally, there's the whole "I've found a partner and soul mate" issue.  What kind of soul mate is somebody's second choice?