With Democrats like Joe Lieberman, who really needs Republicans?

Senator Joe Lieberman, serving aptly as John McCain's foreign policy attack dog, jumped on a conference call with reporters on Wednesday to rip holes into Barack Obama's stance on Israel.

The crux of Lieberman's argument, however, was that Obama was putting the blame for Iran's rise in the Middle East on America's doorstep, pushing the argument that the Iraq war had strengthened Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's standing in the region and left Israel secure.

Now, that's what I call party unity. But, really, what can you expect from a Democrat who's endorsing John McCain for president?

Barack Obama seemed to be less than thrilled with Lieberman's behavior. And, since he's kinda The Man now in the Democratic party, it seems like he was stretching his legs with his newly acquired authority…

…during a Senate vote Wednesday, Obama dragged Lieberman by the hand to a far corner of the Senate chamber and engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.

While it was unclear what the two were discussing, the body language suggested that Obama was trying to convince Lieberman of something and his stance appeared slightly intimidating.

Using forceful, but not angry, hand gestures, Obama literally backed up Lieberman against the wall, leaned in very close at times, and appeared to be trying to dominate the conversation, as the two talked over each other in a few instances.

Still, Obama and Lieberman seemed to be trying to keep the back-and-forth congenial as they both patted each other on the back during and after the exchange.

Afterwards, Obama smiled and pointed up at reporters peering over the edge of the press gallery for a better glimpse of their interaction.

That might give you some idea of what Malia and Sasha Obama have to deal with when they cross family lines to tell journalists that they're father has anti-Zionist leanings and will make the entire Obama household less safe than the guy across the street.