Sen. Joe Lieberman�s strong stand on national security has so rankled some fellow Democrats that they actually booed him at a political dinner on Thursday night.
The rude response to his speech came even as he was being endorsed by popular Sen. Barack Obama.
Lieberman is under attack from some liberal Democrats for his support of the Iraq War, and is facing a primary challenge from anti-war candidate Ned Lamont.
"The fact of the matter is, I know some in the party have differences with Joe," Obama told the 1,700-plus party members who gathered for the $175-per-plate fund-raiser.
"I am absolutely certain Connecticut is going to have the good sense to send Joe Lieberman back to the U.S. Senate so he can continue to serve on our behalf.�
But scattered boos greeted Lieberman when he took the podium, and "he had to stop three times during his remarks to shush the crowd so he could deliver key points,� the Stamford Advocate reported.
Lieberman is also under fire from the left-wing blog Daily Kos, which is helping Lamont raise money for his campaign.
In a posting headlined "Sen. Lieberman: big whiner,� Kos quotes a press release from the Lieberman campaign regarding Lamont�s tactics:
"Attacking Senator Lieberman�s character and integrity was a predictable but dishonorable way to begin this campaign. Mr. Lamont is clearly going to run a very negative and angry campaign where the truth doesn�t get in the way.�
Kos then opines: "The Lieberman campaign isn�t engaging, it�s whining. What strikes me about Lieberman�s thin skin is how unnecessary it all is. He�s a decent guy with a good record in many areas.�
Kos also notes: "It�s a sad, pathetic sight seeing Lieberman scramble for respect despite his long years of incumbency.�
But former Connecticut Democratic Congressman Jim Maloney, who voted against the war while he served in the House, said he thinks Lieberman's record will overshadow the concerns about his stance on the Iraq War.
"I'm still confident my position was correct, but I just as strongly believe that Senator Lieberman voted his conscience," Maloney said.
"Even those of us who don't agree with him on that one issue have to credit him for doing what he thinks is the right thing."
No comments:
Post a Comment