When he was fighting for his political life in 2006, Joe Liberman desperately reached out to Senator Obama for his coveted endorsement -- and Obama came through. Now, when the time comes for Senator Lieberman to repay the favor -- at least in terms of not helping to spread Obama-is-a-muslim smears -- HolyJoe is nowhere to be found. Talk about appreciation.

TPM:

This back-story is particularly relevant right now in light of Lieberman's harsh assaults on Obama's national security credentials.

The top Lieberman official, who was directly involved in securing Obama's help, tells me that the campaign was desperate for Obama to come to Connecticut in March of 2006, soon after Lamont entered the race.

It's well known that Obama's 2006 endorsement was important. But it's not widely understood just how urgently the Lieberman people begged for Obama's help at a critical moment in Lieberman's career -- and in that light, just how much of a back-stabbing Lieberman's attacks on Obama now represent.

Like I've said before, it's Lieberman's prerogative if he wants to support John McCain. But what this episode illustrates quite vividly is just how sleazy the guy is, given how Obama came through for him in the clutch.

Can we strip this guy of his committee assignments yet?