Mayor Bloomberg is taking his already enthusiastic support for Senator Lieberman to the next level: He is planning to hold a fund-raiser the week before the general election.

The fund-raiser — to be held on November 1 at Mr. Bloomberg's Upper East Side townhouse — comes with Mr. Lieberman attempting to win back his Connecticut seat as an Independent after losing the Democratic primary to anti-war challenger Ned Lamont.

Mr. Bloomberg, a lifelong Democrat who became a Republican just before running for mayor, has repeatedly said Mr. Lieberman's willingness to put his views before his party's is something that's sorely lacking in Washington...

This November, we have an opportunity to elect a Senator willing to hold the Bush Administration to account and ask the tough questions on foreign and domestic policy. For too long, Senator Lieberman has not. What’s worse, since the primary, Senator Lieberman has accepted the warm embrace of Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and the extreme right-wing of the Republican Party...

...Bush sent word he was behind Chafee as the best hope to win in the November election and preserve the Republican majority. The backing from the Senate and national leadership gave him his narrow victory over a conservative challenger.

Contrast that with Lieberman, a Democratic supporter of the Iraq war. He is running as an independent in Connecticut against anti-war Democrat Ned Lamont, who defeated him in the Democratic primary.

When Lieberman returned to Washington, most Senate Democrats treated him like a leper because he refused to withdraw.

Last week, even former President Jimmy Carter joined in the call for Lieberman to be ousted because of his stand on Iraq.

If Lieberman wins in Connecticut this fall, which now seems like a better-than-even chance, and the Senate ends up deadlocked, he could haunt the Democratic cloakroom...