This is news that sends a very cold chill up my spine. The White House’s reaction to Joe Lieberman’s repeated betrayals is to grant him completely and total power.

Lieberman threw health care reform into doubt Sunday when he told Reid that he would filibuster the bill if it allowed Americans ages 55 to 64 to purchase coverage in Medicare. His comments on CBS’s “Face the Nation” set off a series of private meetings Sunday between the Senate leadership and top White House aides, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who encouraged Reid to cut the deal with Lieberman, the official said. The White House declined to comment.

Rahm Emanuel is leading the charge to convince Obama to officially switch to the new Leibocrat party. The White House’s new plan to pass “health care reform” is to give Lieberman the bill, a big red marker, and tell him to have fun. Line by line, section by section, Lieberman is going to work his way through the bill cutting out every last little piece of reform.

I promise you now that Lieberman knows his power is limitless, his list of demands will only grow. Dropping the public option, the Medicare buy-in, and the CLASS act are only the beginning. I do not know what matter Lieberman will turn his big red marker on next, but I know it will not be pretty (community rating? lifetime caps? Medicaid expansion? minimum benefit requirements?).

This is a very dark day.