Jamie, it really is even worse than you describe. As aptly detailed by Mark Hemingway the entire Newsweek piece, which never bothered to obtain Senator Lieberman’s account of the conversation, is filled with half-truths and Obama-inspired propoganda. It is easy to see how the Obama camp falls into a state of self-denial, believing alternatively that they have no Jewish problem or that it is the Jews’ fault for believing scurrilous rumors. Why easy? Because in the hall of media mirrors, their own self-serving take is reported back to them and they in turn seize upon it for justification that Jews’ objections are nonexistent or trivial.

But the story raises another issue: how smart is it of the Obama camp to antagonize a revered figure in the Jewish community? Is this showing tact and diplomatic skills or a tendency to bully and bluster? I suspect it will change Senator Lieberman’s conduct and behavior not at all. He has and will continue to speak calmly and without a hit of malice about Obama’s statements and positions. But the impact on observers and supporters of Sen. Lieberman is another story. The image that the Obama camp is painting of their own man — indifferent to the facts, ready to cast aspersions on others, and lacking any self-awareness of his own faults — is not a pretty one. And people are watching.