John Nichols: Lieberman doesn't deserve pity party

[pruner]

A lot was made of the fact that Al Gore abandoned his former running mate, Joe Lieberman, when he decided to endorse Howard Dean for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Traditionally, political etiquette demands that, if a member of a national ticket in one presidential race is seeking the presidency four years later, the other member of the ticket should not turn around and urge voters to back someone else. This is especially true when, as was the case with Gore, the candidate you chose to join you on the ticket is now running in his own right.

But no one should fret for Joe Lieberman. Indeed, it is reasonable to argue that Al Gore is not president today because of Lieberman.

When Gore started making populist noises during and after the Democratic National Convention in 2000, it was Lieberman who told business reporters that the vice president didn't really mean it. Just as Gore was finally getting into the groove of criticizing corporations and their political pawns, Lieberman was undercutting him.

…

Howard Dean has his faults. But, in this campaign, he has worked hard to identify himself as a genuine alternative to Bush. Like a lot of Democrats, Al Gore has chosen to go for the Democrat who promises to stand up to Bush, rather than for the Democrat who too frequently stands with Bush.

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[CMT]

1. exactly

but the press buys into this stuff because it creates a story.

[rogerashton]

2. Gore has made some errors.

Lieberman was one.

[JitterbugPerfume]

3. oh boy!!

the debate with Cheney was enough to let me know that Joe Lieberman is not someone I could ever support , except in an ABB situation in which he would be the lesser evil (evil being the operative word here)

[IrateCitizen]

4. Your post makes me think of the Jon Stewart quote on him...

"Lieberman is the choice for Bush voters who don't think that Bush is Jewish enough."

[pruner]

5. I love that quote too

:)