When it comes to the situation in Iraq, you can agree with President Bush's policy, as I do, or you can disagree, but everyone would have to concede it has been clear and consistent. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with the administration's policy on North Korea, which has been unclear, inconsistent and counterproductively confrontational.

The more we learn about that policy, in fact, the more it seems the president and his team have failed to look strategically beyond each step they were taking, thus acting more like an emotional minor player than the steady great power we are. In doing so, they have helped turn a difficult challenge on the Korean peninsula into a dangerous crisis.

And yesterday?

Lamont was more critical of the Bush administration's dealings with North Korea than Lieberman was.

"While we have been bogged down in Iraq, we haven't made North Korea as much of a priority as it should have been," Lamont said. "I think we should have followed up on the Clinton administration's direct negotiations in a more aggressive way."

Lieberman said he was not prepared to call the incident a blow to the Bush administration.

This change is significant.  Before he lost the primary, Joe Lieberman had a smart critique of the Bush administration's policy on North Korea.  Now that he's seeking Republican votes, however, and that Republicans are starting to put blame on the Clinton administration, Joe has changed his critique.  Suddenly the nuclear test is not quite the result of Bush's 'inconsistent and counterproductive' policy.  There are a lot of these 'not quite' moments for Joe, when he lies or alters his policy without quite allowing the dishonesty to be obvious.

It's the same sleazy misrepresentation that Joe showed on Rumsfeld, on Hastert, on nuclear weapons and Saddam, and his race-baiting against Al Sharpton after asking for Sharpton's help.  He's going to keep doing this as long as the Connecticut press lets him get away with it, which for some reason they have done.

It's important to remember that Joe will say anything to keep his Senate seat.  Anything.  I'm focusing a lot on this seat, as you may have noticed, because I believe that this race is critical to changing this country for the better.  Winning the primary altered the political environment more than any single event this cycle, with the possible exception of Foley.  In the general, now, Joe is using every dishonest reactionary play out there, from race-baiting to culture warring, and doing it with tacit help from DC Democrats, DC Republicans, lobbyists and the Connecticut press.  Beating Lieberman isn't just about beating a very bad and very selfish man, it's about rejecting a whole system in favor of change.  They have a huge amount of firepower against us this time, even more than Joe had during the primary.

The question is whether Connecticut voters will have the courage to reject what they know in favor of change.  I think they will.