Love ‘Em Or Lieb ‘Em (Lieberman's problems aren't all about Iraq)

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ON THE TRAIL

Love ‘Em Or Lieb ‘Em

By Chuck Todd, NationalJournal.com
© National Journal Group Inc.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006

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Despite the gallons of ink being spilled on the Connecticut Senate race between Democratic incumbent Joe Lieberman and primary challenger Ned Lamont, there's still plenty of information folks should keep in mind as they follow these fascinating campaigns.

First and foremost, Lieberman's problems aren't all about Iraq.

His unwavering support for President Bush on Iraq was simply the tipping point. If this was just about Iraq, then many of the rank-and-file Democratic activists who are supporting Lamont would be biting their tongues on Iraq and sticking with Lieberman. The "Iraq" in this equation has been oversimplified.

Lieberman has been living on the edge with the party's base for some time, beginning with his "sermon on the mount" critique of former President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky mess. During the 2000 campaign, there were two moments many Democrats won't ever forget involving Lieberman: (1) his overly nice-guy approach toward Dick Cheney in the vice presidential debate; and (2) when he went against Al Gore's legal team in regards to the rules involving military ballots.

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It's hard to find much news that's positive for the Democratic Party or Lieberman in this situation. He brought this on himself, and that's what he's never understood. He had plenty of opportunities to fix this with local Democrats but chose not to. Who knows, Democrats might get lucky with Lieberman winning big in the primary, and this whole story is swept under the rug. But given Lieberman's moves, it's apparent that won't happen. The question now is just how much collateral damage this campaign is going to cause the party.

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http://nationaljournal.com/todd.htm