President-elect Barack Obama, in the latest of several moves to heal election wounds, persuaded Democrats to reject stiff punishment for Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) despite his campaign efforts for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

Lieberman is the beneficiary of the president-elect’s emerging tactic of binding former enemies close to him — which reportedly includes offering the State Department to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), his bitter rival for the Democratic nomination.

Soon after Election Day, Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) in a telephone call that he wanted Lieberman to stay in the Democratic Conference, taking the momentum away from efforts to snatch up his chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee — which could have driven him into the arms of the Republican Conference.

The call for reconciliation with Lieberman, who attacked Obama as unfit for the presidency, represents the first clear example of Obama’s influence among Senate Democrats and his willingness to stiff-arm his Democratic base, which had been calling for Lieberman’s head.

“He single-handedly delivered change today,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), one of Obama’s closest Senate allies. “The old politics would be revenge, punishment, retribution. The new politics would be, ‘Let’s get busy and solve some problems.’ ”

McCaskill was one of several of Obama’s senior lieutenants who made the case to keep Lieberman in his chairmanship during a closed-door caucus meeting, where nearly two hours were devoted to debating the renegade’s future. Fellow Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin, one of Obama’s closest friends in the Senate, voiced support for Lieberman, as did Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is reportedly under consideration for a Cabinet position.

Not everyone was ready to move on, including Vermont Sens. Patrick Leahy (D) and Bernie Sanders (I), who said leaving Lieberman in charge of a powerful committee would undermine the change voters are seeking in Washington.

Still, the opposition could not overcome Lieberman’s support from the party’s leadership.

In his speech supporting Lieberman, Reid told Democrats about the senator’s loyal support for the Democratic agenda, other than on the Iraq war and some foreign-policy matters. Fearful that reprimanding Lieberman would make Democrats look petty and vindictive despite Obama’s promises to change Washington, Reid urged his colleagues to keep Lieberman in his chairmanship.

By a 42-13 secret vote, the caucus agreed to keep Lieberman in his chairmanship, while rebuking some of his statements on the campaign trail attacking Obama. Lieberman received a much lighter punishment of stepping down from the Environment and Public Works Committee and giving up a chairmanship of a subcommittee on global warming.

“I think the unity message was very important,” Reid said, and also pointed to Lieberman’s apology before the caucus and his conciliatory remarks.