Joe Lieberman Is Being Vetted As Possible McCain Veep



The Veepstakes are complicated. Some of the names floated by either major party Presidential campaign are oftentimes "favors." Mentioning someone like, say, Senator Joe Biden on the Democrat side, or, say Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on the Republican side is not so much a done-deal-statement-of-fact as it is advancing the careers and heightening of the public profile of important political allies.

This has thus far been thought to be the case with Senator Lieberman. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut is, no doubt, a pal of McCain. He is an "Independent," morally conservative -- he was critical of Clinton during Monicagate -- and socially liberal. Lieberman was the running mate of Democrat Al Gore in 2000, but he and McCain make for a snug and comfortable political duo on the campaign trail.

But Lieberman has his political minuses, to be sure. Within the Republican Party he is viewed -- correctly -- as having a too liberal voting record for a general campaign. This would not sit well with the Republican base, which is not all too keen on McCain's maverick brand to begin with.

But Lieberman also has his advantages. He would surely help McCain with the vital Center -- the sweet spot to which both parties aspire in any general election campaign for President.

Curiously, the Financial Times is now reporting that Lieberman is not so much the prototypical "favor" candidate in the Veepstakes, but a bona fide real deal possibility for the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee. From the FT:

"Joe Lieberman, the former Democratic vice-presidential nominee who has endorsed John McCain, is being vetted as a potential running mate for the Republican presidential hopeful, according to an adviser to Mr McCain’s ?campaign.

"Mr Lieberman, who has campaigned for the Arizona senator, has long been ?considered an unconventional but plausible choice for Mr McCain.

"Although Democrats have rejected Mr McCain’s image as a maverick politician, Mr Lieberman’s support for the presumptive Republican nominee has, much to the chagrin of his former ?colleagues, helped to boost Mr McCain’s reputation as a bi-partisan legislator with friends on both sides of the aisle. Mr Lieberman, a staunch supporter of Israel, could also help Mr McCain win over Jewish voters.