Lieberman to the GOP Convention?
February 3rd, 2008 at 07:41pm Mark Noonan
Interesting part of a denial of VP ambitions - from the Los Angeles Times:
But just in case the delegate winner is John McCain and just in case the question comes up again later this winter, Sen. Joe Lieberman — a onetime Democrat from Connecticut, Al Gore’s running mate in 2000 and a Democratic presidential candidate himself in 2004 — has already taken himself out of the VP race.
“I’d tell him,” Lieberman told the AP the other day, ” ‘Thanks, John, I’ve been there. I’ve done that. You can find much better.’ ”
Lieberman endorsed McCain in December, has campaigned for him already in several states, and intends to go back on the campaign trail for his Arizona friend again. Lieberman, you may recall, lost in the 2006 Democratic primary over his support of the Iraq war, so he ran and won as an independent, though he still caucuses with Senate Democrats.
The fourth-term senator said his endorsement of McCain was no indication he’d join the GOP.
Still, Lieberman said if McCain won the GOP nomination, he’d likely attend the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. “I’d probably be more welcome there,” he said.
And then again there is the fact that the Democrats have a very strong chance of increasing their Senate majority in 2008, regardless of who wins the White House, and that would mean the Democrats would no longer need Lieberman to retain control…might be a good time to find something else to do? Especially if the really good polls that parties do for themselves (and not for public consumption) indicate that McCain would beat either prospective Democratic nominee?
I’m not entirely buying this denial - absent a Shermanesque “if nominated I won’t run, if elected I won’t serve” sort of denial, I’m keeping Lieberman on the short list of possible McCain VP picks.
Entry Filed under: Congress, Republicans
16 Comments
1. JD | February 3rd, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Lieberman is no conservative.
2. Mark Noonan | February 3rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
JD,
He is, but he just doesn’t know it…
3. fire in the | February 3rd, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Deleted - obscenity
4. searp | February 3rd, 2008 at 8:12 pm
I would love that ticket…blah, blah, blah…
5. Barak | February 3rd, 2008 at 8:29 pm
It’s pathetic that the searp types (you still hanging around?), would make a longtime Democrat Hawk feel more welcome in the enemies (or at least to the searp types) camp.
6. LiberalMind | February 3rd, 2008 at 9:34 pm
You can have that fool, along with that madman Zell Miller.
7. hermie | February 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Lieberman would never join the GOP. He had his chance to cross over when the Republicans needed to retain the Senate, but he chose to hand the control over to Harry Reid.
McCain will also never accept a conservative as VP. Romney would be the best choice, but McCain hates the conservatives and will likely shove a liberal for VP down the party’s throat. Look for Lindsay Graham or Christine Todd Whitman to be more visible if McCain gets the nomination.
8. John Mccain » Liebe&hellip | February 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 pm
[...] ComMITTed to Romney! wrote an interesting post today on Lieberman to the GOP Convention?Here’s a quick excerptBut just in case the delegate winner is John McCain and just in case the question comes up … term senator said his endorsement of McCain was no [...]
9. Kahn | February 4th, 2008 at 12:04 am
So, SEARP has resorted to mindless spamming. Ideas won’t cut it?
And not a single liberal poster condemns him. Not one. Well, well, well.
SEARP is all ver the internet. He’s posted the multiple Iraq visit claim at Salon.com. He criticized Bush for Katrina. His claims to not be a left wing loon are not supported by his posts - here or elsewhere.
What’s funny is that SeARP stands for Secure Automated Resolution Protocol. And SeARP is an anti-spam tool. And this turd of a network geek is actually doing the thing his profession abhors. It’s like being an arsonist firefighter. The height of hypocrisy.
And I think that if he DID go to Iraq, I nailed him as a network or computer geek in a different string.
Hows that searp? Working security and anti-spam software for a government contractor? Do they know that you’re a left wing loon and posting about your Iraq visits on multiple web sites? Should we track down your IP and dig into who’s doing that work for the Army? Maybe alert them to your irresponsibility and spamming?
10. Mark Noonan | February 4th, 2008 at 12:16 am
hermie,
Its a possibility, but I think that McCain very much wants to be President and knows he’s going to need every bit of help he can get…he’s going to have to make a bow to the movement conservatives with his VP pick…unless he picks Lieberman, who will then demonstrate that he’s been a conservative all along (it was, after all, how he managed to get elected - keep in mind that when he first ran for Senate he beat an incumbant, liberal Republican with conservative GOP support for his campaign…part of garnering this support was his pledge to toe a conservative line on social issues).
11. Mark Noonan | February 4th, 2008 at 12:17 am
Kahn,
Is that what that means? For crying out loud…I wonder if we’ve also found my stalker?
12. Diana Powe | February 4th, 2008 at 1:35 am
With any luck, if Senator Lieberman became a Senator McCain running mate, he would marry such a move with eliminating all pretense and go ahead and switching to the Republican Party where he belongs.
13. Mark Noonan | February 4th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Diana,
That is symptomatic of what is wrong with your party - an unwillingness to tolerate dissent…
14. Diana Powe | February 4th, 2008 at 2:35 am
Yes, I notice all the willingness to tolerate dissent in the reactions here to the candidacies of Mike Huckabee and Senator John McCain. However, Senator Lieberman’s situation is different. He’s not a Democrat.
15. bozo the neoclown | February 4th, 2008 at 5:23 am
“13. Mark Noonan | February 4th, 2008 at 2:18 am
Diana,
That is symptomatic of what is wrong with your party - an unwillingness to tolerate dissent…”
No, actually, it’s our unwillingness to tolerate liars. Being from Connecticut, LIEberman was all over the press during the election screaming he would endorse the Democratic presidential nomination.
16. hermie | February 4th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Mark:
You and I both realize that McCain will need a conservative, but McCain has gotten this far because he has not needed the conservative vote. His ego is continuously being fed by the MSM, and he now believes he will be the nominee.
Do you think he will reach out to Romney, after his low blows in Florida? Romney most likely would forgive him, but McCain’s mean streak is a mile wide and his distain for Romney was so evident that Mitt would be the last choice. Also, McCain doesn’t want a strong VP; that would make him share the spot light and the adoration of Tim Russert and his other ‘friends’.