Is Charlie Crist the Republican Party’s Joe Lieberman?

There’s a fascinating political fight developing in Florida these days. Moderate Republican Governor Charlie Crist is getting trounced in the GOP primary for that state’s open Senate seat.

Conservative challenger Marc Rubio is blowing Crist away in the polls and outstripping him in fund raising.

To borrow a phrase from the national lexicon, Crist is getting Scozzafavaed.

But Crist may be preparing to take a page from the playbook of former Democrat Joe Lieberman.

Lieberman, you’ll remember, was bumped from his party’s line by liberal challenger Ned Lamont in 2006.

But he shrugged off that defeat and ran as an “Independent Democrat” and won the general election handily.

Lieberman continues to serve as a thorn in the side of the Democratic leadership, regularly poking criticism at President Barack Obama.

There’s evidence that Crist could soon be filling a similar roll. Think of him as an MSNBC Republican to Lieberman’s Fox News Democrat.

This week, Crist vetoed a teacher-salary-and-benefits bill that Republicans loved.

It’s a bizarre political move for a guy still hoping to shore up your Republican base.

Unless, that is, Crist has given up on his party and is preparing the ground work for a very different kind of election.

Polls show that he just might pull off an independent run, beating both Republican and Democratic challengers.

In addition to shifting the political landscape nationally, that kind of upset win might also continue the slow devolution of the GOP.

With tea parties, social conservatives and Glenn Beck roaring on one flank and disgruntled moderates simmering on the other, Republicans face a real challenge keeping all the pieces together.

In a year when all signs point to a GOP resurgence, this kind of in-fighting could be the one thing that preserves Democratic dominance.