The Wall Street Journal-20080213-Campaign -08- Lieberman-s Maverick Stance- Longtime Democrat Backs Ally McCain- Social Views Differ

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Campaign '08: Lieberman's Maverick Stance; Longtime Democrat Backs Ally McCain; Social Views Differ

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In 2000, Sen. Joe Lieberman appeared before the Democratic National Convention as the nominee for vice president. Four years later, he competed for his party's presidential nomination.

But this summer, he won't be found at the Democratic convention. He will be with the Republicans, working for Sen. John McCain.

Sen. Lieberman's shift stems from his longstanding friendship with Sen. McCain, as well as his conviction that the U.S. must continue its military commitment in Iraq and his own uneasy relationship with the Democratic Party. In December, when he accepted Sen. Lieberman's endorsement, Sen. McCain cited their friendship as proof that people of opposing parties can work together.

Sen. Lieberman already has campaigned for Sen. McCain in the Republican primaries and plans to campaign for him this fall. If asked to speak at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., this summer, Mr. Lieberman said he will.

"Assuming he gets the nomination, which I assume he will, there's a great battle ahead, but I look forward to doing everything I can to help him," Mr. Lieberman said in an interview yesterday. He said some have wrongly assumed he would reassess his support after both parties' nominees are chosen. "I really believe he's ready to be the president we need," Sen. Lieberman said.

His own political history makes it easier for him to cross party lines in such a way. In 2006, he sought a fourth term in the Senate but lost the Democratic primary to an antiwar candidate, Ned Lamont. Mr. Lieberman went on to run as an independent in the general election and easily won with the support of many Republicans. Still, he was hurt that many of his Senate colleagues supported Mr. Lamont.

When he returned to Washington, Mr. Lieberman stuck with the Democrats, giving them a one-seat majority and control over the Senate, and Mr. Lieberman was named chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The result has been a tender balance: The Democrats need Mr. Lieberman, who is freer than ever to act as an independent.

"Having gone through what I went through in '06, I was liberated to really make this decision as an independent," he said. He said he would like to think he would have endorsed Sen. McCain even if he had been re-elected on the Democratic ticket, but said he isn't sure.

His backing of Sen. McCain hasn't helped his standing with Connecticut Democrats, said Nancy DiNardo, chairwoman of the Connecticut Democratic Party. She said many understood when he decided to run as an independent. But she said they "were very disappointed and very upset" by the McCain endorsement.

He explains his support for Sen. McCain in terms of issues, chiefly national security, which he views as the defining issue of the day. But he said their personal friendship also is critical.

"Probably at this point I don't have a closer friend in the Senate than John McCain," he said.

The pair hold opposing views on social policy, with Sen. Lieberman supporting abortion rights and Sen. McCain opposed. Sen. Lieberman supports efforts to raise the minimum wage; Sen. McCain has opposed them. Sen. McCain has promised to appoint conservative Supreme Court justices in the mold of Samuel Alito. Sen. Lieberman voted against Mr. Alito's confirmation.

Sen. Lieberman said the Supreme Court is the area of "largest concern" for him about a McCain presidency. But he said other issues are more important.

He has repeatedly said that he would not serve as Sen. McCain's vice president. And he said yesterday he doesn't want a spot in the cabinet either.

Sen. Lieberman regards himself as an independent Democrat, and he plans to continue caucusing with the Democrats in the Senate. A few days after he endorsed Sen. McCain, he donated $100,000 to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Soon after the endorsement, Sen. Lieberman said, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) told him that neither his seniority nor his chairmanship was in jeopardy. A spokesman for Sen. Reid said the same.

Still, on Iraq, he has been deeply divided from his colleagues, most of whom support some sort of withdrawal. He said Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are both "very fine people" whom he respects, but he cannot support either one given their views on the war.

"We've got those terrorists and killers on the run right now," he said. "They would snatch defeat from the jaws of victory."

Sen. Lieberman said his friendship with Sen. McCain is long and deep. They first worked together on Bosnia in the early 1990s, urging lifting of the arms embargo and then supporting U.S. airstrikes. Since then, they have found common cause on issues including campaign- finance reform and global warming. They have traveled together abroad frequently.

Sen. Lieberman spoke yesterday from a small office tucked away on the third floor of the U.S. Capitol that he took over from Sen. McCain. Sen. McCain left him a couple of bottles of beer and a bottle of wine, which still sit in the refrigerator. Sen. Lieberman said he is saving the wine for a special occasion. "Maybe Jan. 20, 2009," he said with a smile.