On RW blog, Lieberman admits grudge against Gore, Dodd and Kennedy

[Rose Siding]

Stoller links to Pajama Media's exclusive interview with Joe. In part:

Lieberman - the former Democrat now running as an Independent to retain his Connecticut senate seat - was asked by PJM's CEO Roger Simon if he could forgive once close friends Chris Dodd, Al Gore and Teddy Kennedy, for endorsing his opponent Ned Lamont, the former Democratic Party vice-presidential candidate responded: "I can forgive ... but I probably won't forget."

Then updates his comments:

Update: I think this is a major error on Lieberman's part. He has run a pretty good general election campaign, casting himself as a bipartisan uniter and generally lying about his record. That has largely worked because it's been the narrative in Connecticut for 18 years. Lieberman's still holding on to a piece of the Democratic vote, which he'll need to keep to win.

This attack, or even quiet threat, could change the dynamic significantly. Lieberman went on a very right-wing outlet and attacked the party standard-bearer from 2000. A lot of Lieberman's credibility comes from his position as a VP candidate in 2000; attacking Al Gore the way he did for supporting the party nominee really undercuts his credibility as a Democrat. Chris Dodd is a Connecticut institution, so Lieberman's attack on Dodd isn't going to go over well, and Ted Kennedy is generally very popular among Democrats.

All in all, this is not a smart political move by Lieberman.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2006/9/28/162743/715

That interview is interesting, given this, from Novak's column which suggests on-going lobbying of Joe by repubs to switch parties:


George W. Bush moved a step closer to Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman's re-election bid in Connecticut as an independent candidate when Tom Kuhn, the president's college roommate and close friend, co-sponsored a Lieberman fund-raising luncheon Thursday in downtown Washington.

Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, raised more than $100,000 for Bush in the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns. Also among the Lieberman event's sponsors was Rick Shelby, a longtime Republican operative who currently is executive vice president of the American Gas Association.

The luncheon's sponsors pressed fellow Republican lobbyists to pay a minimum of $1,000 a ticket. Lieberman has announced he will stay in the Democratic caucus if re-elected. But Republicans backing him against antiwar candidate Ned Lamont, the Democratic nominee, hope for a change of heart by Lieberman.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=17292

Lamont's official statement about the detainee torture bill is refreshing:

I believe the President should have all tools necessary to fight terrorism, but the tools must be workable and able to get the job done. I would have opposed the detainee bill passed by the Senate yesterday. We've already wasted five years and not prosecuted one terrorist because President Bush abused power and put an unconstitutional system in place. The bill that passed the senate makes those same mistakes and does not make America safer. I believe it violates the constitution, is at odds with our values, puts our troops in jeopardy, and will lead to further delays in bringing terrorists to justice. It is time for Washington to start learning from the very grave mistakes of the last five years, instead of repeating them. I agree with Secretary Colin Powell who recently said "The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism. To redefine Common Article 3 would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk." It's time for us to get this right. Our national security depends on it.

Seems like such a simple choice.

[ShortnFiery]

1. "Lieberman has announced he will stay in the Democratic caucus"

That's not Lieberman's but The Senate Democratic Leadership's call. Who does Lieberman think he is, The President of The Senate? Did Uncle Dick tell him that soon he'd have better things to look toward, such as Secretary of Defense?

Yes, the choice should be clear. Choose the DEMOCRAT ---> Ned Lamont. :thumbsup: