Joe Lieberman as Vice President?

This Time Maybe as a Republican

If Republican Presidential nominee Senator John McCain decides to throw the long ball on August 29^th, when he announces his running mate, Senator Joe Lieberman may become the first person to be both a Democrat and a Republican Vice-Presidential nominee.

Joe Lieberman, the junior Democratic Senator from Connecticut, has had an unusual journey from the 2000 campaign when he was Al Gore's running mate to 2008 when he has all but been kicked out of the Democratic Party, has become an open supporter of John McCain, and has been mentioned for posts in a John McCain Administration including Secretary of Defense and even Vice President. How Joe Lieberman got there is illustrative of what the Democratic Party has become since John F. Kennedy pledged to "Pay any price, bear any burden, in the defense of liberty."

The first hint that Senator Joe Lieberman was out of step with many of his fellow Democrats occurred in 2004, when he ran for the Presidency. His former running mate, Al Gore, choose not to endorse Lieberman, endorsing instead former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. Joe Lieberman did not win very many primary votes and ultimately dropped out of the race,

By 2006, when Joe Lieberman was up for reelection to his Senate seat, discontent over his support of the war in Iraq had reached a fevered pitch in certain sections of the Democratic Party. Internet based groups such as Moveon.org openly supported Lieberman's primary challenger, businessman Ned Lamont. As a result, Lieberman lost the 2006 primary race.

Undaunted, Joe Lieberman ran for his Senate seat as an independent. With the help of a coalition of moderate Democrats, independents, and Republicans, Joe Lieberman won his seat back handily. Though Joe Lieberman is listed as an independent, he caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, a somewhat awkward arrangement considering Lieberman's continued support for the Iraq War.