Top Lieberman Campaign Official: We Begged Obama For Help In 2006 -- And He Came Through

[KittyWampus]

Top Lieberman Campaign Official: We Begged Obama For Help In 2006 -- And He Came Through
By Greg Sargent - June 10, 2008, 4:23PM
http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/06...


Now that Joe Lieberman has emerged as John McCain's lead attack dog against Barack Obama -- even going so far as to suggest that Obama's judgment could pose a danger to our safety -- there's some very interesting behind-the-scenes back-story to the Lieberman-Obama relationship that you should know about.

Specifically, a top official on Joe Lieberman's 2006 Senate reelection campaign tells me that Lieberman's staff practically begged Barack Obama to come in and endorse him at a critical moment -- requests that Obama agreed to, helping Lieberman minimize the damage from challenger Ned Lamont's recent entry into the contest.

This back-story is particularly relevant right now in light of Lieberman's harsh assaults on Obama's national security credentials.

The top Lieberman official, who was directly involved in securing Obama's help, tells me that the campaign was desperate for Obama to come to Connecticut in March of 2006, soon after Lamont entered the race.

"We needed him to strongly validate us as a candidate that liberal Democrats should not desert," the official tells me. "We went to the Obama operation with a very urgent plea for him to come out for us."

It's well known that Obama's 2006 endorsement was important. But it's not widely understood just how urgently the Lieberman people begged for Obama's help at a critical moment in Lieberman's career -- and in that light, just how much of a back-stabbing Lieberman's attacks on Obama now represent.

[BklynChick]

1. that makes him that much more of an asshole, then.

[KittyWampus]

5. I'd say that crossed the line into backstabber

[BklynChick]

7. oh, totally. lying backstabbing asshole motherfucker

[PoliticalAmazon]

2. I'd just as soon not be reminded that Obama helped Lieberman.....

It makes me turn surly and cranky.

[hedgehog]

3. But not bitter?

[PoliticalAmazon]

9. No. Never! n/t

[mrreowwr_kittty]

6. But Obama went on to endorse Lamont in the General

And Lamont endorsed Obama several months ago. :)

[PoliticalAmazon]

8. Well, that's true, so he can learn, but endorsing Lieberman just ticks me off. n/t

[cbc5g]

4. Lying rat traitor backstabbing asshole Lieberman back to defend McCain today..

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/lieberman-calls-dust-up-over-mccain-comment-outrageous-2008-06-11.html

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) leaped to the defense of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) Wednesday after Democrats pounced on McCain for saying it is “not too important” how long U.S. troops are in Iraq.


On a conference call with reporters arranged by the McCain campaign, Lieberman, the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, called the Democratic response to McCain’s remarks “another partisan attempt to distort John McCain’s words.”

“To put it mildly, I’m disappointed by these reflexive attacks on what Sen. McCain said on the 'Today Show' this morning,” Lieberman said. He added: “I regret these comments made today, and I hope we can get back to the facts.”

Lieberman was joined by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) on the call, and both men accused Democrats of blowing the comment out of proportion to distract from Obama’s anti-war stance “because they don’t want to talk about the success of the surge,” Thune said.

The McCain camp responded after Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said on a conference call arranged by the Obama campaign that McCain’s comments show that he is “confused” and out of touch.

Lieberman said he finds it “most outrageous” to suggest McCain is out of touch.

[BigDDem]

10. Obama endorsed Lieberman

Great judgement!!

[jasmine621]

11. Nobody's perfect! nt

[demokatgurrl]

12. Lieberman is scum.

I'm glad we can say that here.