Reply #31: Cohen was a very centrist (relatively liberal) republican [View All]

[salin]

ala Chafe, and Snow. In todays' climate he would be perceived to be more liberal than several sitting democratic senators.

McCain while having integrity and at times playing the role of a Maverick on issues of defense plays the hawk (not quite neocon but very conservative) role quite consistently. The difference - with regards to Defense policy - is not a matter of degrees it is a completely different location on the map.

Interestingly enough, several 1980s era republicans in the Senate were perceived to be as liberal or more liberal than democratic Senator Joe Lieberman when he first won his senate seat over more liberal republican Senator Lowell Wieker. I was more familiar with Wieker and Rudman at the time, but I believe that Cohen fell into this same camp. (worth noting, the only race in my life where I have ever rooted for the republican over the democrat was in the Wieker/Lieberman race.)