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Lieberman Sounds Like He will Speak at Republican Convention

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August 03, 2008 1:03 PM

ABC News' Matthew Jaffe Reports: Former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Joe Lieberman, ID-Conn., cautioned Sunday that a decision has not been made on whether he will speak at the Republican national convention in support of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., but strongly insinuated that he will in fact do so.

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Lieberman, now an independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats, has been a vocal supporter of McCain for president and he may speak on his behalf at the Republican convention in Minneapolis later this summer.

"That decision hasn't been made," Lieberman said on NBC's "Meet the Press". "If John McCain feels that I can help his candidacy, which I think it's so important to elect him our next president, I will do it."

Lieberman's comments echo what he has said recently about the convention, but the senator then strongly implied that he will appear at the GOP gathering.

"I'm not going to go to that convention, the Republican convention, and spend my time attacking Barack Obama. I'm going to go there really talking about why I support John McCain and why I hope a lot of other independents and Democrats will do that and frankly, I'm going to go to a partisan convention and tell them, if I go, why it's so important that we start to act like Americans and not as partisan mud-slingers."

"Sounds like you're going to go," replied host Tom Brokaw.

"Sounds like that to me too," agreed Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., as all three men laughed.

There is speculation that Lieberman might even appear at the convention as McCain's vice-presidential nominee, but Lieberman has said he is not interested in the position, adding that McCain could find someone better.

Lieberman was Al Gore's vice-presidential running mate on the Democrats' unsuccessful 2000 ticket. "Been there, done that," the Connecticut senator has said in the past when asked about the possibility of holding that position with McCain.

"It's not happening," Lieberman spokesman Marshall Wittmann told ABC News this week.

Republican party rules would also seem to make it difficult for Lieberman to share the ticket with McCain. And as ABC News' Jan Crawford Greenburg and Howard Rosenberg reported last month, Lieberman's appearance could loose him both his Senate committee and his ability to caucus with Democrats.

August 3, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan, Romney, Mitt, Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (54)

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Good. That way he can change his party affiliation while he's there and help coach McCain with his mixups, although Lieberman is starting to get a bit confused himself--referring to "Al Queda in Iran" just today.

Posted by: mary | Aug 3, 2008 3:01:27 PM

Mr Lieberman happens to be one of the very few honest politicians of our time. He is a true independent

Posted by: charles | Aug 3, 2008 3:05:40 PM

Lieberman is not nor Independent. Liberman is pro-Lieberman and always has been. The man left his party behind not because of ideals but because they did not want him. The Democratic party is better off without him and his ego.

Posted by: Connecticut_Yankee_Independent | Aug 3, 2008 3:14:18 PM

The Republicans are in for a disappointment if they think Lieberman is going to offer up a reprise of Zell Miller's '04 rant against Kerry. What made that effective (as far as it did) was that Miller had no association with Bush and was going after Kerry as one military guy to another.

Lieberman, on the other hand, has been sweethearts and best buddies with McCain so publicly that the only surprise would be if he didn't all-out endorse him.

Secondly, neither Obama or Lieberman have military records so Liberman has only two unlikely paths of attack against Obama: He can play his civil rights background but does he really think that's going to fly against an African-American candidate? Or he can play the friend of Israel card, which may help with a percentage of Jewish voters, but I suspect even a lot of Jewish voters have had it with two-faced Joe and see through his game here.

Posted by: Frank | Aug 3, 2008 3:14:42 PM

Mr Lieberman happens to be one of the very few honest politicians of our time. He is a true independent and dedicated on doing what is right and just for the total good of our country!!!!

Posted by: charles | Aug 3, 2008 3:16:02 PM


He ran as an independent and sides with the Dem's
He should be listed as an independent and not be able to affiliate with either party of which he is neither.

Posted by: Rick | Aug 3, 2008 3:22:00 PM

Kerry gave Lieberman a lesson in statesmanlike discourse today. Lieberman looked lost and could only grin McCain-like most of the time.

Posted by: ericmiami | Aug 3, 2008 3:24:39 PM

Of course he has to whisper in McSurges ear.

Posted by: wrong again | Aug 3, 2008 3:34:40 PM

Isn't the Left so full of love?

Lieberman may be the last true Democrat out there. No wonder he's coming over to the Right side.

Posted by: Mike | Aug 3, 2008 3:37:47 PM

Great, I Love It! Senator Lieberman is well respected by the Jewish community, and he can bring them to vote for McCain, The Hero.

I don't care how Obama loses. I just want him to lose to see him get over his arrogancy and vanity. And to see Oprah get over herself.

Posted by: Mrs. Phoenix | Aug 3, 2008 3:57:17 PM

dems get him out hes a republican spy out to destroy the democrats!!!

Posted by: angie | Aug 3, 2008 4:04:20 PM

Isael's Senator - that's Joe Lieberman. He wants our troops stuck in Iraq forever . . . because that's what's demanded by Israel.

Posted by: Oregon | Aug 3, 2008 4:33:43 PM

Joe Lieberman used to live in New Haven. Democrats in New Haven tried to get him removed from the rolls as a registered Dem since he ran on the
"CT For Lieberman" Party. Joe has since quietly moved out of town and set up residence and voter registration in Stamford. Joe's old friends, neighbors and longtime supporters have seen Joe simply do whatever he needed to do to advance his career over 30 + years. He's an embarrassment.

Posted by: hopesprings52 | Aug 3, 2008 4:37:43 PM

The country has too few centrists like Joe and too many hyper partisans.

So does this thread.

Posted by: Frederick Michael | Aug 3, 2008 4:38:28 PM

As a Democrat I am fairly embarrassed by Joe Lieberman right now. Seems like his bitterness from the primary campaign of 2006 has not gone away despite winning his Senate seat back. I think speaking at the RNC should be the last straw for Lieberman in the Democratic Party. The Democratic Primary election season brought out record numbers of voters across the board, but early on Lieberman decided he couldn't support any Democratic Party candidate and endorsed McCain. So all Lieberman's talk about experience on MTP today sounded fairly hollow. Is that his real reason for not backing Obama? In that case why didn't he endorse Biden or Richardson? Its plain bitterness.

Posted by: markymark | Aug 3, 2008 5:00:45 PM

Joe's real bitterness began when he didn't win the Dem pres. nomination in 2004. He was the presumed frontrunner and never got out of the starting gate. He thought that nomination should have been his because he had been the 2000 VP candidate. From that point on, he saw that he could never advance any farther in the Dem Party. That's when he started to bash Democrats amd cozy up to Repubs. It's all about Joe and his ambition. Bi-partisanship, yeah, sure.

Posted by: hopesprings52 | Aug 3, 2008 5:10:36 PM

What, no Ron Paul?

Posted by: Huh | Aug 3, 2008 5:40:05 PM

What's a matter Libs? Can't be tolerant when someone has a mind of their own and choose's NOT to march to your beat? Are you people that foolish to believe that America will elect Odumba who has less than 150 days of actual service in the U.S. Senate and who has associations with such racists as Jerimiah Wright and the former terrorist Bill Ayers?

Liberalism is a true mental disorder.

Posted by: Neo | Aug 3, 2008 6:09:21 PM

Superman, Snowhite and Pinocchio are walking along. They stumble on a beauty contest. Snowhite goes in and comes back a few minutes later with the first prize. They keep walking and stumble on a contest to find the strongest man on earth. Superman goes in and comes out with the prize. They keep going and stumble on a contest for the biggest liar. Pinocchio goes in and comes out with second prize...he asks "who is this Obama guy?"

If Lieberman can help defeat Obama, then more power to him. Obama as president would make Carter look like one of the forefathers. Go Joe!!!

Posted by: Andre | Aug 3, 2008 6:11:25 PM

Good. Let Lieberman go to the Republican Convention. We sure don't want him at the Democratic Convention. And, as has been noted, the Democrats won't need him after the election.

Posted by: caliguy55 | Aug 3, 2008 6:14:00 PM

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