Lieberman to drop out

AP

[VOA]

His failure as as a candidate is because he is too whiny, nebishy, annoying, and phony!!

Well, that is also very true!
But, IIRC, he got a good round of booing from a Democrat meeting during the
campaign while detailing his support of the war on terrorism.

So, in addition to the qualities of being whiny, nebishy, annoying and phony...
he finished himself off with admitting to supporting the same position as Dubya.

The only reason Lieberman lasted this long is that he didn't get Gore's endorsement!

[BriarBey]

Gosh...between the count down clock and this news I may not sleep tonite. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

[OldFriend]

I wish I knew where he got his campaign donations...and I sure hope he didn't get any matching funds.......

There are important issues to be dealt with in the Senate, he ought to get himself back to D.C.

[FRgal4u]

Good ole Joe, before the taint from Gore, was a good Senator from the Northeast. He is for school reform, social security reform, strict labels on music records, and fiscal conservative. He is definitely not as Conservative as most GOP senators, but he is actually a rare breed, whose is able to work across the aisle, in the Senate (before his ambitions were stoked by the evil hands of Gore).

Had he won the primary, he is quite on force on the cultural value issues. Now that he is gone, may he go back to his former self and work on issues that will benefit for every American, not just for the dems or for that matter, just for the reps.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I still don't know why the Dems don't kiss Lieberman's feet. He's one of their very few examples that they can hold up as saying the entire party isn't entirely made up of extreme loony leftists.

[af_vet_1981]

Finally. Good riddance.

Why ? Which of the other Democrats do you prefer to Lieberman ?

[Chad Fairbanks]

I like this headline. It reminds me of when I was on the toilet this morning, and Dean dropped out...

[AmishDude]

I read it. Steyn's the most Joe-table writer of our time.

[jude24]

I actually intended to vote for Lieberman in the NY primary, since I thought he was the best of the bunch. Now I'll just stay home.

[Cobra64]

Lieberman, no chin. Kucinich, no chin. Kerry, all chin.

Is he Lurch, or Mr. Ed?

[truthchaser]

Wish he'd just come across the isle, I can't believe it hasn't crossed his mind. You have to respect Joe for the way he has stood up in this campaign, a decent politician and a good American.

[RWR8189]

Lieberman Abandons Presidential Campaign
 

Feb 3, 9:30 PM (ET)

By LOLITA C. BALDOR

(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., left, and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Conn.,...
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ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - Sen. Joe Lieberman, unable to inspire Democratic voters who embraced his 2000 vice presidential campaign, ended his presidential bid Tuesday night after a string of disappointing defeats. He pronounced himself proud, nonetheless, of the campaign he waged.

"The judgment of the voters is now clear," Lieberman told supporters gathered at a hotel in northern Virginia. " For me, it is now time to make a difficult but realistic decision. I have decided tonight to end my quest for the presidency of the United States of America. Am I disappointed? Naturally. But am I proud of what we stood for in this campaign? You bet I am."

The Connecticut senator skipped Iowa, finished fifth in New Hampshire and had no chance of winning any of the seven contests Tuesday night.

Lieberman never was able to overcome a campaign crippled by a slow start, tepid fund-raising and a moderate message aimed at a mostly left-of-center electorate.

(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., right, and Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.,...
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"I offered a mainstream voice and I still believe that is the right choice and the winning choice for our party and our country," Lieberman said. But, he added: "Today, the voters have rendered their verdict and I accept it."

He said he may not have "shouted the loudest" but that he was proud to take "the toughest positions in support of what I believed was right for our great country."

He said he would support the eventual Democratic nominee.

Using his vice presidential bid in 2000 as a springboard, Lieberman's high name recognition pushed him to the front of early national polls last year. But while former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's candidacy caught fire last year and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., surged this year, Lieberman's bid languished near the bottom of the field.

Lieberman had hoped for a strong, third-place finish in New Hampshire to propel him into Tuesday's primaries, but he ended up a distant fifth. The poor finish fueled speculation, even among his closest supporters, that he was about to pull out of the race.

(AP) Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Joe Lieberman buys a pretzel from an Amish merchant Friday,...
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Instead, he forged ahead, hoping to pull out a win in Delaware with strong showings in Arizona and Oklahoma.

He fashioned his campaign after Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was able to capture a large independent vote in some of the early 2000 primaries. But that support never solidified for Lieberman, and as uncommitted voters began making up their minds, his support inched up only slightly.

Plagued with problems from the start, Lieberman's first problem was a pledge to not run for president if former running mate Al Gore sought the nomination. The pledge, inspired by his gratitude to Gore for choosing him as running mate in 2000, put Lieberman months behind other candidates who were raising money and hiring top staff.

Supporters said Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq also cost him votes, as did a low-key style that never captured the attention of Democrats hungry for a fighter to take on Bush.

A three-term senator, Lieberman, 62, rocketed to national fame on Aug. 7, 2000, when Gore made history and selected him as his vice presidential running mate.

The dramatic choice made Lieberman the first Orthodox Jew to run on a major ticket, and faith played a key role in many of his speeches throughout the campaign. It also put a national spotlight on his religious practices and his longtime commitment to not campaign on the Jewish Sabbath.

The Democrats' strong showing in Florida was credited to his presence on the ticket, but it wasn't enough to deliver the presidency. Although Gore and Lieberman won the popular vote by about half a million ballots, they conceded the election after a tumultuous 36-day recount in Florida and a Supreme Court ruling that handed Bush the presidency.

Just last month, Gore delivered a major blow to his former running mate's campaign by endorsing Dean. The slight briefly invigorated the campaign, but it was all too much for his stumbling campaign to overcome.

[FRgal4u]

Ole Joe is more aligned with the Northeast GOP Senators than with Jumping Jim Jeffords. Ole Joe is also one of the more pro-business dems Senators around. In his former self, you don't hear him bashing pharma or oil companies. In fact, the powerful insurance lobby contributes heavily to his campaigns. I doubt he will ever cross the aisle. He is more like a Breaux than a Jeffords, his closest counterpart in the Senator on the GOP side is McCain. If ever this country will elect two senators in a national ticket, a McCain/Lieberman ticket will be it. A Kerry/Edwards wont cut it nor will a Kerry/Clinton ever would. Bush gotta count himself lucky not having an indy ticket like McCain/Lieberman to spoil the 04 election.

[BillyBoy]

What? Isn't the "real" Vice President super popular with HIS voters? After all, they "elected" him veep in 2000.

[bootyist-monk]

MoreLoserman

[Old Sarge]

Joe is one of those guys who performs my biggest pet peeves in politics: He asks himself questions that he answers:

THANK you. I thought I was the only person on the planet who refuses that Orwellian twist of language.

[exnavy]

He is the only Dem in the running with any brains at all.

[Conservative til I die]

I dunno. Does Lieberman's failure to gain traction reflect more badly on him, or on the Democratic voters?

I have a lot of problems with Lieberman, just for taking many of the usual Democratic stances, but on defense, Lieberman "gets it."

[Coop]

Lieberman was the most honorable person running for the Democratic ticket. He was also consistant in his support for the war on terrorism. He was also the normal person of the group as well.

Indeed. While I would not have voted for him over President Bush, I could have been somewhat comfortable with a President Lieberman. His complete abandonment by the Democrats speaks volumes about that party.

So can we now accuse all Democrats of being anti-Semites? (We know McAuliffe would be doing it if the roles were reversed.)

[nicmarlo]

Lieberman was the most honorable person running for the Democratic ticket. He was also consistant in his support for the war on terrorism.

While I do agree with you....I cannot forget how he completely flip-flopped when he ran as veep on the ticket with Algore......perhaps that's what did him in on the primaries?