Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut vowed this week to run as an Independent in November, after his stunning loss in the Democratic primary to a novice politician who battered Lieberman over his support for the war in Iraq. In a state where disapproval of the war runs high, challenger Ned Lamont, a cable-television executive, portrayed the three-term incumbent and former vice presidential nominee as a lackey of the Bush administration. 'œNo more 'stay the course,'' Lamont told his cheering supporters. 'œStay the course is not a winning strategy in Iraq, and it's not a winning strategy in America.'
Lieberman, who captured 48 percent of the vote to Lamont's 52 percent, said he would remain in the race 'œfor the sake of our state, our country, and my party.' But top Democrats in Washington, D.C., and Connecticut rallied to Lamont, and insiders said pressure on Lieberman to withdraw would be intense.
Article continues belowThe Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is a victory for the 'œwackadoo wing' of the Democratic Party, said Michael Goodwin in the New York Daily News. By ousting Lieberman, Democrats have vented their frustration with the ongoing chaos in Iraq, but now what? Do they plan to wave the 'œbloody scalp' of Joe Lieberman at the Islamist enemies who want us dead and hope it makes them back off? The message for Hillary Clinton and other Democratic presidential hopefuls is clear, said Dick Morris in the New York Post. Tack hard to the left, 'œor be buried by the party's increasingly radical and leftist base.'
Salon.com