It seems like only yesterday that Joe Lieberman was telling Glenn Beck that he "fear[s]" that America will not survive (Beck’s words) if Democrats gained a 60-seat majority in the Senate. But, in fairness, it wasn’t. It was Tuesday.

Now Lieberman gives a presser after meeting with Reid — read Jane’s post on that —  that boils down to him saying there shouldn’t be any consequences for his actions during the past year.  What’s amazing is the end of this video, where he says he’ll be "considering the options that I have before me." It’s as if he thinks he’s Jim Jeffords and his vote will tip Senate control. Which would be about the same sort of judgment that he’s recently exhibited.

Reid shouldn’t fear that Lieberman would break from the caucus, of course. On most votes — for social and economic issues, for instance — Lieberman will basically have to vote with the Democrats because Connecticut is a deep-blue state, voting for Obama by a staggering 22-point margin. And if he joins the GOP, he’ll ultimately lose his media platform, with his attacks on Democrats becoming another dog-bites-man story, and probably opening him up to a vigorous 2012 general-election challenge. In short, he has no cards to play to prevent the loss of his chairmanship, and so there’s no reason to allow his actions to go unpunished. Lieberman knew what he was doing when he signed on with McCain. Magnanimity in victory is a good thing, but it’s a fine line between magnanimity and allowing yourself to be a victim.