Joe Lieberman makes me nervous

Eric Alterman predicts that Joe Lieberman is still in the running to replace Donald Rumsfeld if he wins in November. While I wouldn't have that thought that the Democratic senator replacing a dyed in the wool neocon would be a bad thing, Lieberman's recent interview with far-right pundit Glenn Beck (the weird swipe at Nagin nicely demonstrates his committment to hackery) made me wonder what the heck is going in Joe's mind. His views sound no different than the most outspoken and bellicose neocons. (excerpts courtesy TPM Cafe)

BECK: I am so afraid that we are going to see Lebanon fall into the hands totally of Hezbollah...that you're gonna start to see Iran come into Iraq. The entire Middle East is gonna be on fire. And we are going to find ourselves like Ray Nagin found himself with buses in a parking lot.

LIEBERMAN: Yeah.

BECK: Why is it there aren't more politicians saying, Guys, this is World War III. We are in deep trouble.

LIEBERMAN: Yeah, I mean, I don't know the answer to that...Everything you just said about the Middle East is right....If we walk away [from Iraq], then the Iranians will as sure as I'm talking to you surge into Iraq, certainly take over the south and all the oil that's there....We'll have 200-dollar barrel oil, we'll be paying six or seven bucks a gallon. And that'll just be the tip of it. I mean, there'll be instability and war throughout the Middle East. We've got to wake up to this....