One of the big selling points for Glenn Beck's “Restoring Courage” rally in Israel this month has been the presence of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT). Back in June, as his Fox News show was busy death-rattling, Beck announced with no small amount of pride that Lieberman was one of the first people he reached out to when planning the rally, and that the senator was going to attend and perhaps even lead a “delegation from the U.S.” Lieberman, for his part, called “Restoring Courage” an “important idea,” and as recently as Tuesday he appeared on Beck's radio program to talk up the rally.

But now, five days out from the event itself, Lieberman has apparently pulled out. Washington Jewish Week reported this morning:

Still, it was disappointing to learn that one of team Beck's brightest Jewish stars won't be by his side next week.

The office of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) told me that the lawmaker won't be able to attend the former Fox News host's party, which is set to take place on Wednesday.

“Because of a family commitment, Senator Lieberman will regrettably not be able to attend the Restoring Courage rally which Glenn Beck and others are holding in Jerusalem, Israel on August 24,” a Lieberman spokesperson told me.

Lieberman -- who originally announced his attendance during an appearance on Beck's now-cancelled show -- will have to lend his support in absentia, it seems.

“Senator Lieberman supports this event and wishes he could be there in person to express his support for a secure and free Israel, for Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel, and for a rock-solid US-Israel relationship based on shared, eternal values and common current interests and enemies,” the spokesperson said.

This news comes on the heels of yesterday's announcement that the House Ethics Committee will not allow members to attend Beck's rally in their official capacities (prompting a self-righteous tirade from Beck on the evils of Speaker Boehner and the Republican Party).

Slate's Dave Weigel sees the flagging fortunes of “Restoring Courage” as part of Beck's broader decline:

Beck's news site, The Blaze, is doing fairly well, but I've never heard a peep coming out of Glenn Beck TV, and only Media Matters seems to notice Beck's radio show. Post-Fox News, I meet conservative activists in primary states who say they miss Beck. Without Fox, his imprint on the culture is barely noticeable. Of course, Beck's mission in life in 2009 and 2010 was to weaken the Obama presidency, and a case could be made that his empire's doing better than that one.