Posted on 09/08/2006 3:10:27 PM PDT by Jean S
If Sen. Joe Lieberman’s Democratic colleagues are anxious to get rid of him, they gave no indication of it in their first gathering since Lieberman lost a Connecticut primary to Ned Lamont last month and launched an independent bid.
“I don’t think there’s any of us out there saying ‘Goddamn, I hope Joe doesn’t win,’” said Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), who has endorsed Lamont in the general election.
Indeed, Democratic senators applauded Lieberman at their weekly policy luncheon, when Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asked him to brief the caucus on upcoming port-security legislation.
“Welcome back,” said Reid, who was scheduled to meet with Lamont later in the day.
After Reid’s introduction, Lieberman got “a warm ovation,” according to Minority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.).
As much as liberal scrawlers on the Internet are calling for his scalp, Lieberman’s courtly colleagues seem to be patting him on the shoulder.
“I’d always like to work with Joe Lieberman,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is backing Lamont, said of a possible Lieberman win in the general election.
Others were a little more forward.
“I’m not going to settle for a handshake. I want a big hug,” Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) told Lieberman. Lincoln has not endorsed either candidate.
A smiling Lieberman emerged from the caucus shortly after 2 p.m. to chat with about 40 members of the news media who had gathered in the hallway outside of the meeting room.
“I appreciated it immensely,” he said of the ovation he received, noting that it had been some time since his mere presence at a caucus meeting sparked applause.
He easily brushed off Reid’s meeting with Lamont.
“That’s politics,” he said.
Lieberman gamely handled a few more questions — Republican colleagues are not asking him to join their side and he has “no interest” in becoming secretary of defense — before moving toward the sanctuary of a senators-only elevator.
Earlier in the day, Lieberman said several senators approached him on the floor during a vote on an amendment to the pending fiscal year 2007 defense appropriations bill. He said he got kind words from a bipartisan set of members, including Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.).
Lieberman’s centrism was once a source of strength in Democratic circles, helping land him the vice presidential slot in 2000. But his 2004 presidential bid fell flat in the Democratic primary, and his support for American involvement in the Iraq war has made him a target for critics of the war. Lamont edged Lieberman in the primary, but Lieberman leads in polling in a three-way general-election race including Republican Alan Schlesinger.
Lamont’s challenge put Democratic leaders in a bind, and several of them said before the primary that they would support whomever Connecticut Democrats chose.
But some of Lieberman’s colleagues hope party support for Lamont will be restrained.
“The DSCC’s resources are not unlimited and I hope we would focus on states where an incumbent Democrat is not running for re-election,” said Carper, who could be in line to replace Lieberman atop the Democratic roster on the governmental affairs panel.
“Joe Lieberman is one of my closest personal friends,” he said. Carper has endorsed Lieberman in the primary.
But not everyone in the Democratic Caucus was as charitable.
“Everyone knows where I stand, I’m a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat, and I want to see the Democrat win,” Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) said.
Biden may have been the most circumspect.
“I don’t have a relationship with, nor do I even know, Joe’s opponent. I’ve endorsed him because he’s the Democratic” nominee, Biden said. “If Lamont wins, he’ll be embraced, and if Joe wins, he’ll be embraced.”
At least for one day, Democrats wrapped their arms around Lieberman.
it's all about the spin:
For Lieberman, the 'I' Stands for 'Ignored'
The Washington Post | September 7, 2006 | Dana Muilbank
Posted on 09/07/2006 7:04:25 AM EDT by libstripper
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1696920/posts
bttt
Can you imagine if President Bush had said that?
That's Chaffee if it's 50-50.
He's running for the next term as an independent, but isn't he still a Democrat for the current term?
What a bunch of two-faced jerks.
He is a Dem as long as the Dem Senate leadership says he is one. If you look at the official recordation of Senate votes, it is clear that Lieberman is still carried on the official Senate roles as a Dem. Lieberman was elected as a Dem and will remain as one until if and when he is reelected. He could then switch back to the Dem party in CT after six months.
Of course they're kissing up to him. He's going to win, and they don't want a Jumpin' Jim Jeffords on their side of the aisle.
This guy has got a serious cognitive dissonance problem.
Why do Delawarians keep electing this bozo?
ping
"We don't want you to win and we are going to campaign against you BUT if you do win, caucus with us, Okay Joe!?"Sounds like a bunch of boa to me. And it they've got a lot of nerve to asp him.
RE: "Sounds like a bunch of boa to me. And it they've got a lot of nerve to asp him."
Indeed.
...but then, 'unbelievable hypocrisy' is no longer all that uncommon in D.C. these days. When they get caught with their pants down, they don't even blush anymore.
I'm sure they'll come to regret it, but python it will be too late.
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