The Junior Senator from Connecticut currently currently is on a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Georgia, Poland and the Ukraine, three former vassals of the Soviet Empire that are under intense pressure from a resurgent Russia. John McCain, whose chief foreign policy adviser is a lobbyist whose firm has taken nearly $1 million from Georgia, is urging a hard-line on Russia. Lieberman is making the trip with Republican Senator Lindsay Graham, who along with McCain, makes up a kind of “Three Musketeers” of Senate hawks undertaking junkets to world hot spots.

Senator Lieberman recently had an op-ed piece published in the Wall Street Journal, in which he bemoaned the Democratic Party’s stance on foreign policy issues. He longed for the days of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S Truman and John F. Kennedy, in which the Democratic Party was hawkish and committed to intervention. Joe Lieberman skates over the debacle in Vietnam, which was the end result of that hawkish foreign policy.

Though he was of age, the 66 year-old Lieberman avoided serving in the Vietnam War, though he seemingly supports the War in the article. The article can be described as nostalgic for the Cold War, which his friend John McCain seemingly wants to revive with an aggressive policy towards Russia.

Some political pundits predict that Lieberman could be appointed Secretary of State in a McCain Administration.

Erstwhile Democrat & Social Liberal

Joe Lieberman was a Democrat from 1970, when his political career began in his native state of Connecticut, through 2006, when he was defeated in the 2006 Democratic primary. Ignoring entreaties from Democratic Party leaders to support the Democratic nominee, he instead ran for reelection as an Independent. He won, retaining the Senate seat he first won in 1988, by beating both the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Officially, Lieberman is listed as an Independent Democrat in the U.S. Senate, where he caucuses with the Senate Democrats. As the Democrats have 50 seats and the Republicans 49, his vote gives the Congressional Democratic Party control of the Senate during the 110th Congress. He claims that he truly is independent, and that while he is a moderate to liberal on domestic policy and in the mainstream of the Congressional Democratic Party, on foreign policy and national defense issues, he generally agrees with the Republicans.

Joe Lieberman is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic Presidential nomination, but was defeated in the early primaries and dropped out. He is a moderate-to-conservative Democrat who took stands on moral issues considered out of the mainstream of the Democratic Party, such as supporting the regulation of the music and TV industries to reduce offensive content. He also spoke out against President Bill Clinton on the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, urging Clinton to resign.

An Orthodox Jew who is strong supporter of Israel, Joe Lieberman was defeated in the 2006 Connecticut United States Senate election, 2006″>Democratic Party primary election primarily due to his strong support for the War in Iraq. It is that issue which has made him an ardent supporter of the hawkish John McCain, a friend from the Senate.

Angry Democrats & Conservative Republicans

Many Democrats have been angered by Joe Lieberman‘s public support of John McCain and his attacks on Barack Obama, the Democratic Presidential nominee-presumptive. In an appearance on Face the Nation in late July, Lieberman said he supports McCain because Islamic terrorists will attack the U.S. in 2009 to “test” the new president, just as they did on 9/11/01. He believes that John McCain can best handle a response to international terror.
Some Democrats in Congress have said that Joe Lieberman should be stripped of his Committee chairmanships to punish him, but the Senate leadership demurs. If the Democrats gain a significant advantage in the 2008 elections, Lieberman may be stripped of his chairmanship as his defection to the Republican Party would not cost the party control of the Senate.

There has been talk that John McCain might make Joe Lieberman his running mate, but that is highly unlikely. As a supporter of abortion rights, he is out of step with one of the major powers blocs in the national GOP. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War and the defeat of incumbent President George H.W. Bush in 1992, abortion has become the “:Third Rail” of Republican Party politics. (The first President Bush was considered a waffler on the issue. His wife, First Lady Barbara Bush, was pro-choice.) The religious and cultural conservatives who control the national Republican Party would never countenance a pro-choice candidate, despite the fact that surveys of rank-and-file Republicans reveal that the majority have a libertarian view on the suject: That the government should butt out and leave abortion a decision made by individuals, not the government.

Joe Lieberman has gone on the hustings with John McCain, which has done nothing to help his popularity in his native state of Connecticut. In fact, Lieberman’s popularity is at an all-time low.

Lieberman is no more popular among conservatives in the GOP. Republican conservatives have always been wary of the maverick John McCain, and are worried that he just might pick Joe Lieberman to position himself as a bipartisan candidate in order to swamp Barack Obama in the November general election. As the Salt Lake City Tribune points out, Lieberman and his fellow Senator from Connecticut, Christopher Dodd (a potential running mate for Barack Obama), have identical ratings of 70% Americans for Democratic Action, the venerable liberal political action committee. The choice of Lieberman could set off a “civil war” among Republicans.
For his part, Joe Lieberman apparently is enjoying all the attention coming his way, as it gives him an opportunity to proselytize for a hard-core, hawkish foreign policy and bolster the flagging support for intervention in the Middle East, including a potential strike on Iran. Despite animosity from both liberal Democrats and socially conservative Republicans, Lieberman’s foreign policy and defense positions and support of John McCain come from a sincere belief in the need to safeguard Israel and ensure world peace by an aggressive foreign policy that combats Islamic terror.Sources:

Hartford Courant, “Lieberman Will Speak At Republican Convention“; “Sen. Lieberman Leaving For Georgia Visit“

Politico.com, “McCain weighs a Lieberman surprise“

Salon.com, “Joe Lieberman, ideological turncoat“

Salt Lake City Tribune, “Lieberman is a risky V.P. choice“

Talking Points Memo Cental, “McCain Campaign Confirms It: Lieberman To Speak At GOP Convention“

Washington Times, “GOP leaders try to foil Lieberman pick; Pro-choice views trouble conservatives“

Speaking to the press in Denver, where he was attending the Democratic National Convention as a superdelegate, Chet Edwards said, “I would have to think that a bumper sticker that said ‘Obama/The Other Edwards’ might have been a bit difficult.”

After a thorough vetting process, Barack Obama picked Joe Biden to be his running mate.

John Edwards, the former one-term Senator from North Carolina, was the 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, running on a ticket with U.S. Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts. Until the sex scandal broke in the major media, he had been considered a possible running mate for Obama due to his appeal to the working class white males that so far have not warmed to the Junior Senator from Illinois.

If Chet Edwards is right, and Barack Obama did not pick him to be his Vice President due to his sharing a surname with the scandalous Dishonest John, the Congressman is the second leading contender for the Vice Presidency to be done in by Edwards, John. After John Edwards admitted he had carried on an extramarital affair, supporters of Hillary Rodham Clinton cried foul, saying that if John Edwards had not run for the Presidential nomination in the 2008 primaries, their candidate would have won the nomination. They believe he should have dropped out of the race once it was apparent in December 2007 that his clandestine affair was known by the media.

The National Enquirer, the supermarket tabloid that broke major details of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky sex scandal a decade ago, revealed that John Edwards was having an affair with Rielle Hunter in October 2007. Two months later, It revealed that Edwards’ mistress was pregnant.

John Edwards is being targeted with a lawsuit by his contributors charging that he illegally used campaign funds to pay Hunter, whom was set up as a videographer who filmed the Edwards’ Presidential campaign. Apparently, Hunter has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Edwards and his supporters.

John Edwards claims that he is not the father of the child, though he lied repeatedly about the matter until being caught visiting Hunter and the child in a Beverly Hills hotel.

Hillary Clinton would not necessarily have won the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination had John Edwards, who came in #2 in the Iowa caucuses, one percentage point ahead of third-place Clinton, if he had dropped out of the race in December. Most John Edwards supporters favored Barack Obama as their #2 choice, not Hillary Clinton.

Vetting Process

Congressman Chet Edwards is not related to John Edwards, but he believes the backlash against the former North Carolina Senator’s sex scandal made it impossible for Barack Obama to name him as his running mate.

Barack Obama called Chet Edwards on June 30th to ask him if he could be vetted as a potential running mate. He agreed, and on August 10th, Chet Edwards was informed by the Obama campaign that he had made the short-list. Revelations of John Edwards’ affair and the possibility he was the father of an illegitimate child flooded the mass media at the same time.

Chet Edwards was being pushed by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

“Chet Edwards is a person that many of us think would be a good person to have in the mix,” Pelosi told Newsweek. “We want the House in the mix, as well.”

The 56 year-old Chet Edwards has been in Congress since first winning election in November 1990. He continually wins re-election in a state that increasingly trends Republican despite facing well-financed opponents. Chet Edwards’ Texas District contains President George W. Bush’s ranch in Crawford.

About the vetting process, Chet Edwards said, “I laughed at one point and said I’m normally thrilled if anyone remembers what I said 25 minutes after I’d given a speech. I never dreamed there would be lawyers being paid to read my speeches from 25 years ago.”

According to Edwards, “They look at every thing. . .and even check whether our children have any kinds of things they should not have on Facebook.”

Possible Cabinet Position

Chet Edwards said that his inclusion on Barack Obama’s short-list was a “deep privilege.” He praised Obama’s selection of Joe Biden as his Vice President, saying that Biden, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was the “perfect running mate for Barack Obama.”

The speculation in the press has been that Barack Obama wanted a young running mate to create a ticket with a strong generational appeal, akin to the Bill Clinton-Al Gore ticket of 1992. However, once the conflict between the Republic of Georgia and Russia in South Ossetia flared up, and Russian troops overran the former Soviet state of Georgia, international relations and defense became paramount.

Republican Presidential nominee-presumptive John McCain effectively called for a return of the Cold War, and his attack dog, former Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, criticized Barack Obama’s stand on the Georgia-Russia conflict as being morally neutral.

Chet Edwards agrees with the speculation. He told the Dallas Morning News, “Once Russia invaded Georgia I would have bet it would be Sen. Biden.”

Before John Edwards’ fall from grace, the press said that President Barack Obama might name the ex-senator his attorney general. That will not happen now, but if Obama wins in November, he might appoint Chet Edwards to the cabinet.

Columnist Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post quotes an unnamed source who was “close to the vetting process” as saying that Chet Edwards’ chances of being part of a Barack Obama administration are excellent.

‘”He was a proven vote getter in a Republican district,” said the source. ‘A guy who had a clear ability to work across the aisle and a great familiarity with defense and veterans’ issues. [He was] well liked by his colleagues. [He] could be a strong contender for cabinet spot if he wants to leave the House.’”

When Cillizza contacted Chet Edwards about the possibility of his being part of Barack Obama’s cabinet, he said, “For me to even speculate about a cabinet position I would be putting the cart before the horse.”

Sources:

CBS News.com, “McCain Camp Continues Contrast With Obama on Georgia Conflict“

Dallas Morning News, “Texas’ Chet Edwards said John Edwards scandal hurt his veep chances”; “Chet Edwards praises Biden choice, says John Edwards hurt his chances“

New York Times, “Edwards Admits to Extramarital Affair“

Washington Post, “VP talk sparks interest in Waco’s Rep. Edwards“; “A Place for Chet Edwards in an Obama Cabinet?”

Stephanopoulos was right, and Nader was wrong: Barack Obama picked U.S. Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate, officially announcing the choice on Saturday.

How this will go down with the legions of Hillary Clinton supporters will not be evident until the Democratic National Convention convenes on Sunday, August 25th. Clinton, who fell short of her quest for the Democratic Presidential nomination, issued a statement supporting the choice of Biden.

“In naming my colleague and friend Senator Joe Biden to be the Vice Presidential nominee, Senator Obama has continued in the best traditions for the Vice Presidency by selecting an exceptionally strong, experienced leader and devoted public servant. Senator Biden will be a purposeful and dynamic Vice President who will help Senator Obama both win the Presidency and govern this great country.”

Running Mate Screening Committee

Mike Allen of Politico.com quoted a “Democratic official” as saying that Hillary Clinton was not vetted by the Vice Presidential search committee headed by Caroline Kennedy.

“She was not asked for a single piece of paper,” the official alleged. “She and Senator Obama have never had a single conversation about it,” Allen quotes the Democratic Party insider who apparently has access to either the Clinton camp or inside information about the machinations of the Obama’s running mate research committee.

“How would he know if she’d take it?” the source asked rhetorically.

Hillary Clinton allegedly never met with the Vice President screening committee which consists of Caroline Kennedy, the daughter of the late President John F. Kennedy, and Eric Holder. Caroline Kennedy reportedly will be named Ambassador to the Court of St. James, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy I, if Obama is elected President.

The running mate vetting committee never requested the financial and medical records requested of other Vice Presidential contenders.

Barack Obama has said repeatedly that Hillary Clinton, the runner-up for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination, is on his short-list for Vice President. He reiterated his stance on Meet the Press on July 27, 2008, saying that Hillary Clinton, the Junior Senator from New York State, “would be on anybody’s short list.”

An aide for Barack Obama, no information was required from Hillary Clinton as she is already an open book. According to the aide, Clinton was subjected to “exhaustive research” during the campaign season, which stretched over 16 months. “She was researched more closely than any candidate in history.”

Polls indicate that Barack Obama would get a bigger bounce from choosing Hillary Clinton than any other potential running mate. Choosing Hillary also would assuage the hurt feelings of the Hillary wing of the Democratic Party, many of whom still are angry at Obama for beating their heroine to the post in the Presidential primary sweepstakes.

Many feel that if John Edwards, recently embroiled in a that was revealed by the National Enquirer back in December 2007, had done the honorable and sane thing and dropped out, Hillary Clinton would have bested Barack Obama for the nomination. This logic ignores the fact that Obama was the #2 choice of the majority of Edwards supporters.

The Art & Science of Picking a Running Mate

United Press International quoted Ralph Nader, who has thrown his hat into the ring yet again for 2008, as saying that Hillary Clinton is Barack Obama’s best choice for Vice President. Nader dismissed speculation that Obama will choose Evan Bayh, Joe Biden or Tim Kaine.

Nader was quoted as saying, “I don’t think he’s that dumb.” Nader’s advice to Barack Obama is to “…swallow hard and do what JFK did.”
sex scandal

In 1960, Caroline Kennedy’s father chose Lyndon Baines Johnson, the Senate Majority Leader, to be his running mate, though his brother Bobby Kennedy and his staff did not like him. Lundon Johnson was a crude and overbearing man who was unpopular with labor and liberals. However, as an Irish Catholic from Massachusetts, JFK realized he needed a Protestant from a Southern state to balance the ticket. Texas had been trending Republican in Presidential elections, and JFK absolutely needed Texas’ electoral votes to win the Presidency.

In a move that likely brought him the Presidency, JFK set aside his personal choice (reportedly Missouri Senator Stuart Symington) and offered Johnson, one of the most powerful men in the history of the U.S. Senate, the Vice Presidency, a job with few responsibilities other than being President of the Senate, a relatively powerless post. Some thought that LBJ would never give up the power he wielded in the Senate to serve as the officer presiding over the body, whose main duty was casting tie-breaking votes.

Lyndon Johnson took the offer and eventually succeeded the slain John F. Kennedy as President on November 22, 1963. LBJ was riding in back of JFK in the motorcade when he was assassinated in Dallas that day, and was transfigured from a relatively powerless politician into the most powerful man in the world. The Vice Presidency, thus, is one of the most important choices a candidate can make, and is an indication on what kind of decision-maker they are. John Kerry made a poor pick when he chose John Edwards in 2004.

Kerry later came to regret the decision, and he and Edwards had a falling out. John Kerry’s endorsement of Barack Obama was a critical boost to the Junior Senator from Illinois.

Ralph Nader believes that the names of Bayh, Biden and Kaine are being floated as a “smokescreen.” He feels that if Obama is going to name a white male politician as his running mate. Sam Nunn, a former U.S. Senator from Georgia who was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would be a better choice.

Appeaing on Good Morning America earlier in the week, George Stephanopoulos says it is unlikely that Barack Obama would chose either Hillary Clinton or Sam Nunn. Nunn a “Dark Horse,” although his vast experience with foreign affairs would balance the ticket and he might help Obama win Georgia. However, Nunn, is a social conservative, which would alienate the politically potent gay faction that is a bulwark of the modern Democratic Party.

As for Hillary Clinton, Stephanopoulos was dismissive of her chances to be President.

“You could never say never,” he said. “If you give me 50-1, I’d take it.”

Sources:

ABC News.com, “Obama’s Vice Presidential Running Mate Search Nears End“

CNN.com, “Ranking the best and worst VP picks“

Huffington Post, “Hillary Clinton, GOP Senators Cheer Biden VP Pick“

New York Times, “A Predident Like My Father” by Caroline Kennedy (endorsement of Barack Obama)

Politico.com, “Hillary gets stiffed; Hillary Rodham Clinton “was never vetted,” a Democratic official reported.”

Slate.com, “It’s Biden Time! Will Obama’s “

United Press International, “Ralph Nader backs Hillary for V.P.”

VP-Search.com, “Obama picks Caroline Kennedy, Holder, Johnson to lead VP search“new running mate help or hurt the campaign?