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McCain Had Lieberman All to Himself

by Russell Berman
Mon, 17 Dec 2007 at 2:55 PM

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When it came to an endorsement, Senator McCain had Senator Lieberman all to himself. An aide to the Connecticut lawmaker told The New York Sun yesterday that of all the presidential candidates on both sides of the political aisle, only Mr. McCain had actively sought his support. That underscores not only the partisan nature of the primary process but the distance Mr. Lieberman has come since he was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2000. His hawkish stance on Iraq and Iran could make his endorsement poisonous to any Democrat looking to win favor with the party's anti-war base, and there may be lingering bitterness on his part over the way many in the party abandoned him once he lost a Democratic primary to Ned Lamont in his re-election bid last year. Mr. Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, is now an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate. On the GOP side, despite Mr. Lieberman's credentials on national security, most of the Republicans have been tacking to the right and have little use for a cross-party endorsement. Mr. McCain has been touting his maverick reputation as he seeks to win New Hampshire, and he and Mr. Lieberman are long-time friends who have worked together on many issues in the Senate. The Lieberman aide, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to overshadow today's formal announcement, said the two senators traveled to Iraq on a delegation trip over Thanksgiving and that shortly after they returned, Mr. McCain asked for his endorsement. The aide said Mr. Lieberman would continue caucusing with the Democrats and had "no intention or desire" to run for vice president again. Mr. Lieberman is also close with an as-yet-undeclared candidate, Mayor Bloomberg, who helped him win re-election and has praised his centrism. The aide said Mr. McCain maintained "great affection" for the mayor, despite his endorsement of Mr. McCain.

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