Lieberman Would Tap McCain if Elected

[Aidoneus]

Lieberman Would Tap McCain if Elected

Friday October 24, 2003 8:16 PM
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Joe Lieberman said Friday that if elected president, he would tap Republican Sen. John McCain as Defense secretary.

Doing little to dispel the criticism that he's a closet Republican, Lieberman told Don Imus's syndicated radio program that he would want the Arizona senator, a colleague and a friend, for the Pentagon post.

``If I were president - I'm going to get him into trouble now - but, I'd ask John McCain to be my secretary of defense,'' Lieberman said. ``I have total trust in him. He's strong, he's independent and he's a hero.''

--snip--

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3305706,00.html

[goobergunch]

1. "Doing little to dispel the criticism that he's a closet Republican"

I'll say. He's every bit as hawkish as McCain.

[Classical_Liberal]

2. That means that we will have Bush's neocon foriegn policy

if Lieberman is elected. Sadly that is what McCain is. He was popular in 2000 only because foriegn policy wasn't an issue. I used to think him more goldwaterish, but have come to realize that isn't the case.

[elcondor]

3. Well, if you're going to pick a Republican . . .

I mean, really, how many Democrats are "heroes" (in a military sense)? :shrug:

Well, besides John Kerry. Or Wesley Clark. Or Max Cleland. Or etc . . .

(on edit: I'm being sarcastic. Lieberman has plenty of military heroic folks (including Inouye) to choose from within the Democratic party. He doesn't have to go to McCain. He must be getting really desperate to be going after McCain's supporters.)

[Classical_Liberal]

4. I don't want him in the Defense position

I think he supports the neocons. It breaks my heart because I used to think McCain a moderate, and independent, but he isn't.

[elcondor]

7. I agree. I was being sarcastic.

McCain is definately one of the less e-vil Republicans, but he isn't "independent" as Lieberman said.

[Guaranteed]

5. Inouye (sic?)

Dude has a Congressional Medal of Honor.
But, I guess Lieberman really wants to pick a Republican.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

10. Exactly, El Condor, I caught your sarcasm immediately

without the edit. Lieberman has simply proven that he is NOT a Democrat and is out to help the DLC kill the party by making it one with Republicans.

WE have MUCH more capable Dems and NOT just in the house and Senate.

[phillybri]

6. McCain wants to send more US troops to Iraq...

Not good...

Lieberman continues to show his Repub colors.

[Classical_Liberal]

9. It's the generational commitment rhetoric that drives me nuts

about McCain of late. With so many other problems much more pressing to American, why would I want to make Iraq our generational commitment. Occupying those countries will bleed us dry.

[ulysses]

8. yay bipartisanship!

...

[cjbuchanan]

11. Lieberman is grasping at anything to stay alive

I wonder if he understands how desperate this makes him sound? I know you won't vote for me on the positions, but maybe you'll vote for me because you like John McCain and he'll be invited to be part of my administration.

Why will he not just drop out?

[CMT]

12. desperation politics

when you go on a program and tell the world that you would name a very popular political figure to a key post--I consider that desperation and a bit of pandering.

[yolatengo]

13. Scr*w McCain

...and Lieberman.

Check out McCain's voting record on votesmart sometime; the
guy IS A WINGER. Just because BushCo played hardball against
him in '00 doesn't diminish his total wingnut voting record
(with the LONE exception of CFR):

http://www.vote-smart.org/npat.php?can_id=S0061103

As for Lieberman, ever since letting Big Dick Cheney get away
with that 'I didn't make any money off the gummint' bullsh*t
during the debates he's been a complete idiot in my book.
But, at least his voting record suggests a center-left approach.
Sorry he's still playing the 'can't we all just get along' approach
as a pink tutu Dem (while Tom DeLay submits his impeachment
articles...).

Bigby

[mlawson]

24. If anything happened to GWB, MCain would be

the repukes' nominee in 2004. Cheney would try for it, but wouldn't be able to swing it, due to health problems, plus his inelectability.
The repukes would have to choose either McCain, or Frist, and I would bet on McCain.

And he could beat any Dem. This would totally suck.

[OKNancy]

14. Oh my God

Lieberman is nuts..... I'm sorry, I just can't stand him.
Loser

[sleipnir]

15. When will Holy Joe drop out???

I'm sick of this shit and the guy needs to face the music and go back to Connecticut and he can take Bush back with him.

He's part of that weird hybrid Dem-Repug and he's picked another weird hybrid friend of his, McCain. I'm just waiting for him to announce Olympia Snow, Zell Miller, Lincoln Chaffee to the rest of his cabinet.

[DebJ]

16. "a closet Republican"?

I think he stepped out of that closet a long time ago. He's just a Republican plant / spoiler.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

17. Hey, there's something missing from this thread

By this time in a Lieberman thread, there's usually a spirited defense, claiming that those of us who don't like him are anti-Semites and not in tune with the rest of America. The silence on that front is kind of nice.

[ScreamingMeemie]

18. Kick

:kick:

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. Kick

[TheDonkey]

20. bad idea, plain and simple. (nt)

[Malva Zebrina]

21. Disgustingly desperate

Lieberman appears to have no loyalty--not a feature I would admire in a president--especially when there are plenty of good men to choose from that are not Republicans--geez, I cannot believe this man--first he could not support Gore fully and is only a Senator because he was reluctant to throw his full, unconditional support to Gore, his own running mate, and now this--he is saying that there are no Democrats that would fit the bill--

[Faygo Kid]

22. Go away, Joe

Don't need to hear from you anymore. Suck up to your pharmaceutical and insurance industry buddies, and leave us alone. Interesting question, though: Who WOULD be a good defense secretary in a Dem administration? One to ponder.

[jsw_81]

23. McCain

Yeah, I'm sure McCain would just hand his Senate seat to the Democrats (remember, AZ has a Democratic governor who would appoint someone to fill the seat).

But Lieberman is never going to be president, so this whole discussion is really quite pointless.

[the_real_38]

25. You have to be kidding me...

... half the democrats say they won't vote for Lieberman because he's a Republican as is. Now he's basically admitting it - man, we've got to spank this guy.

I can tell you, I will not have the corporate 'Democrats' on the DLC force him down our throats - I'll vote Green first.

[fujiyama]

26. Lieberman's campaign...

is obviously on its last legs. This is nothing more than desperation. He is doing "well" in the polls because of name recognition, but the more people see and hear him, the less support he's getting.

Even DLC insiders like Fienstien are backing the other democrat from the northeast, John Kerry. Hell, even Biden, when asked by Chris Matthews who he's backing, said Kerry and Clark are his favorites. There was no mention of Lieberman.

His campaign inspires little if any excitement, and most people have only said they'd vote for him only if for some strange reason, he were to be the nominee.

Lieberman has made the mistake of running against the base of the democratic party. It's OK to be centrist. Clinton was a centrist. Dean is. Clark and Kerry are not flaming lefties either. But they have all realized that you don't win elections if you don't turn out your base. Lieberman hasn't learned anything and continues to actually attack the base.

I've actually defended Lieberman's record from time to time because his vote record is definetely to the left of all but a few GOP senators and I don't really have any big problems with John McCain (lately I've found him to be kissing up to the WH a little too much and he's been too much of a rah rah cheerleader for the war). Still, this is pandering to the extreme...and I'm curious what McCain himself actually thinks of this.

[David Zephyr]

27. What a Desperate Man, Joe Lieberman Has Become

This is simply an offense to all Democrats and stinks.

It just stinks.

Lieberman seems more and more to be a very, very angry and jealous man. Sad.

[stewert]

28. He Also Said This............

I heard lieberman on Imus, he also said the three front runners in the democratic
primary are these three.

1) Dean
2) Clark
3) Lieberman

Holy Joe is delusional, either that or he is doing the same drugs Rush is.

He left Kerry out of the list, yet he included himself. Even though he is only
polling 6 percent in the New Hampshire primary.

When he said he would make McCain his secretary of defense I thought it
was what a republican would do. Oops I forgot lieberman is a republican.

The funniest question was when Imus asked Lieberman when he was going
to end his foolish campaign to be president.

Lieberman seemed to think Imus was just kidding, I think Imus was serious.

Before the interview started Imus said he should end his idiotic campaign to be
president. So he called the Lieberman campaign foolish and idiotic, yet Lieberman
thought he was kidding.

I believe Imus was serious......