Iraq's Sunnis and Shiites can still avoid a civil war, said Ruth Marcus in The Washington Post, but for the Democratic Party it may already be too late. In the liberal state of Connecticut, three-term senator and former vice presidential nominee Joe Lieberman finds himself in a surprisingly tight primary race with millionaire businessman Ned Lamont, whose only real credential is that, unlike Lieberman, he opposes the war in Iraq. That's enough for many Democrats in Connecticut, and more than enough for the zealots of the 'œempowered liberal blogosphere,' who are working 'œwith Ahab-like' zeal to kill off Lieberman. Lieberman, a centrist and foreign policy hawk, says he'll run as an Independent if defeated in the Aug. 8 primary, a move that would likely split the Democratic vote and might ensure a GOP win in November. But Lieberman's enemies are too eager to punish him for the heresy of supporting 'œBush's war' to think that far ahead.
This isn't just about Iraq, said Joan Vennochi in The Boston Globe. Throughout his career, Lieberman has repeatedly broken with his party to stand on 'œprinciple,' usually when it suited his own interests. When Republicans were clamoring for Bill Clinton's head during the Lewinsky affair, Lieberman joined the chorus of outrage, denouncing Clinton's behavior as 'œimmoral' and 'œinappropriate.' In 2000, when Al Gore chose him as his running mate, Lieberman selfishly refused to give up his safe Senate seat to another Democrat. Had Gore/Lieberman won, Connecticut's Republican governor would have been able to fill Lieberman's seat with a Republican. In other words, Lieberman 'œabandoned the notion of loyalty when it suited his purposes. Why should he expect any loyalty from Democrats?'
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