Joe Lieberman, unloved by everyone in the end

Gone. Remember when Joe Lieberman gamely tried to rationalize how nice it was that he wasn't invited to either of the national conventions this year? Well, there's no way to sugarcoat this laugher:

When the senior senator from Connecticut stood to give his parting address Wednesday afternoon, just one of his colleagues, Delaware Democrat Tom Carper, was with him on the Senate floor.

Nevermind Dana Milbank's weeping at poor misunderstood Joe not getting his dues! Lieberman will always be celebrated by the Beltway punditocracy for his eagerness to send thousands of Americans to their untimely deaths. Indeed, he was so bipartisans, that he was in favor of trading the public option for the lowering of Medicare eligibility from 64 to 55, then reneged as soon as he realized Democrats (and liberals!) agreed on the plan.

Ah yes, he was with us on everything but the war. And health care. And the election of a Democratic president. And a sane foreign policy. And the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy. And protecting Social Security. He was a man bitter at the Left that spurned him during the 2004 presidential primaries (as if he ever had a chance), and he lived to remind them that he hated their guts. (If you want a sense of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's career trajectory, just study Lieberman's. Cuomo is a worthy successor to that legacy.)

In the end, what matters is that Lieberman was forced into early retirement, replaced with a real Democrat in Chris Murphy. That he was left to say his goodbyes to an empty chamber, without even John McCain in attendance, is the cherry on top.

12:01 PM PT: Sign our "good bye" card to Joe Lieberman here!