After being elected as an independent for his fourth term in the U.S. Senate, Joe Lieberman thanked the people of Connecticut for choosing "progress over partisanship" and the "mainstream over the extreme." He stressed the importance of across-the-aisle cooperation and spoke briefly on the war in Iraq, saying that the two parties needed to work together to bring home the troops without putting Americans at risk. It was a perfectly acceptable Lieberman speech.

Even opponent Ned Lamont, who "helped bring new voters and new volunteers into the political process," got a mention. (Liberal bloggers and the elusive "grass roots" were tastefully omitted.) And he explained his feelings of gratitude in this cheesy, yet somewhat endearing manner: "You know my name was on the bottom of the ballot? You found it. So it seems only fitting that I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Someone give this man a hug.

— Lori Fradkin