Finally, the moment reasonable Dems have been waiting for ... all five of you, that is

Democratic Leadership Council chair Al From has issued the following statement. (Howard Dean, Cindy Sheehan, Nancy Pelosi, Michael Moore and the whole moveon.org crowd, he's talking to you:)

Statement of Al From on Senator Joe Lieberman

There's currently an orchestrated effort underway to make Sen. Joe Lieberman into some sort of a pariah because of his views on the Iraq War. That's wrong. Republicans may try to impose strict litmus tests, but an inclusive Democratic Party should not.

There's plenty of room for debate on how to succeed in Iraq and in the war on terror. We should be a party that leads that debate, not stifles it.

Joe Lieberman is a man of utmost integrity who speaks and governs by his values and principles, even when they lead him against the popular tide. He is a man who always puts his country above his party or his personal interests. Those are qualities we should cherish, not disdain, in today's far too polarized politics.

We need more, not fewer, people with Joe Lieberman's character in the Democratic Party, and I'm proud to call him my friend.

Hear, hear.