Yes, this is now the era of change we can believe in. But let’s not get carried away. It’s not “change in which the Democratic Party straps on a pair,” or anything.

We say that by way of confirming that U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, aka “Joey the Rat,” will live to betray another day. Despite giving his word not to campaign against Barack Obama and then vigorously doing exactly that, Lieberman will remain as chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, on a 42-13 secret-ballot vote in the Senate Democratic caucus.

U.S. Sen. Harry Reid — the leader of the Democrats in the Senate — glossed over the outrage with this: “He’s part of this caucus … We are not looking back. We are looking forward.”

Gee, senator, you might want to look back once in awhile, because that’s where this slippery bastard is going to insert the knife the next time he thinks he can get away with it. And since you let him off with just a slap on the wrist — Lieberman will lose a seat on the Environment and Public Works Committee — that day will probably come sooner rather than later.

Compounding the outrage, Lieberman did not apologize for his treachery. Instead, he called the vote to keep him in the caucus “fair and forward-looking,” adding that it was a message of “reconciliation and not retribution.”

Fair? If there were any fairness in this world, Lieberman would have found his desk outside the goddamn building. As a first step. He’s fortunate that his colleagues didn’t grab him, take him to the basement and beat the living shit out of him, you know, as a welcome back gesture. If Washington was The Sopranos, they’d be finding pieces of Lieberman out at Sheepshead Bay for weeks.

But that would require — oh, what’s the term? — right, balls. And the Democrats couldn’t rent a pair at a ball factory if they had all $700 billion of the bailout.

Of course, political considerations played a part in the decision, too: If the Democrats win three still-to-be-decided Senate races in Alaska, Minnesota and Georgia, together with the votes of Lieberman and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, they’ll have 60 votes. That means they can implement a Democratic agenda over the objections of Republicans.

Had Lieberman been stripped of his committee chairmanship, he might have weaseled out once again and decided to caucus with his warmongering fellow travelers, the Republicans, depriving the Democrats of that cloture-proof, 60-vote majority.So, even in deciding to show Lieberman some undeserved mercy, the sorry senator’s own treachery was a factor. And what good is Lieberman’s vote if he’s only going to cast it in favor of, to coin a phrase, “more wars, my friends, more wars.”

Mark our words: It will not be long before Lieberman betrays the party to which he claims allegiance. He’s done it before, and he’ll do it again. You can “look forward” and “reconcile” all you want, Democrats, but it’s not going to prevent you from getting fucked. Again. Only next time, you’ll have only yourselves to blame.