Gore picks political moderate as running mate

Gore picks political moderate as running mate
REUTERS

NASHVILLE, AUG 7: Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore intends to name Senator Joseph Lieberman as his vice presidential running mate, making the Connecticut moderate the first Jew to run on the national ticket of a major US party, Democratic sources said on Monday.

Gore will telephone call Lieberman later on Monday to inform him of his decision and invite him to Nashville for a formal announcement on Tuesday, sources said.

The two will then campaign together through Friday before going their separate ways to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles next week where they will be formally anointed as the party's 2000 standard-bearers.

Lieberman, 58, is an orthodox Jew who is known as a political moderate with good relations with many Republicans. He has been a major player in US defence and foreign policy, while also being known as a critic of violent content in popular entertainment.

The selection of Lieberman is seen as attempt by Gore, now trailing in the polls to Republican foe George W Bush, to reach out to both independents and even Republicans, since the two-term senator successfully has courted both groups of voters in the past.

Lieberman, long considered one of the most respected members of Congress, was the first Democrat publicly to scold President Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky scandal and called for him to be censured for the affair.

Lieberman, first elected to the Senate in 1988, is a devout orthodox Jew and moderate lawmaker who has managed to work in a bipartisan fashion on Capitol Hill.

Lieberman has served the past five years as chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist group Gore helped found in 1985 and that Clinton formerly headed.

Lieberman bills himself as pro-business, pro-environment and pro-defence.

A Democratic source familiar with Gore's thinking said the Vice-President reached out to his longtime friend Lieberman in part because of his "national reputation for independence and integrity."

That reputation may help Gore distance himself from Clinton, who was impeached in connection with the affair with Lewinsky.

Gore picked Lieberman from a short list of possible running mates, who also included Senaotors John Kerry of Massachusetts, John Edwards of North Carolina, Evan Bayh of Indiana, House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri and New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen.

Democratic Senator John Breaux of Louisiana on Monday called Lieberman a "good solid Democrat with good ideas and new ideas of what should be done in government."

Asked whether he was concerned about Lieberman being an orthodox Jew, Breaux said this did not matter in the 21st century. "I think John Kennedy handled that back in 1960 (as the first Roman Catholic elected president). I think people are not so much concerned with where you worship on Sunday as they are that you have moral beliefs and strong principles, and certainly he has both of those," he said.

He said Lieberman was liked by members of both parties in the Senate. "He's real, he's honest, he's open and works well with both sides. That's very unique today. I think that's what the American people would like their officials to be."

Asked about his vocal opposition to Clinton's role in the Lewinsky scandal, Breaux said Lieberman had made a great deal of political sacrifice and had shown great courage during the scandal.

"I think the American people admire someone with the political spine to do what is right," he said, adding that Lieberman was still a close friend of the President despite the criticism.

In recent days, much of the political buzz, particularly on TV talk shows, had been about Kerry and Edwards, both of whom were seen as skilled campaigners. But Gore decided to go instead with the more low-key Lieberman, who as an orthodox Jew will not campaign or drive on the Sabbath.

Ed Rendell, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said on Saturday that Lieberman would "almost be a slam dunk" as Gore's choice if he were Episcopalian rather than Jewish.

"I don't think anyone can calculate the effect of having a Jew on the ticket," Rendell said. Asked if Lieberman's faith was enough of a concern to prevent his selection, Rendell said, "I'm not sure that the people who would vote against us because Joe is Jewish aren't going to vote against us anyway. "I think it would be great."

Gore campaign chairman Bill Daley said on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that Lieberman's religion was irrelevant.

Lieberman, who was first elected to the Senate in 1988 and re-elected in 1994, has been a major force on defence and foreign policy. He strongly supported the Gulf War resolution in 1991, and pushed for "final victory" over Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Other stands have included favouring F-15 sales to Saudi Arabia in 1992, sending ground troops to Bosnia after the war ended in 1995, NATO's expansion in Eastern Europe and keeping funding for the Seawolf submarine and the submarine base in Groton, Connecticut.

He has backed capital gains tax cuts for small businesses and the 1996 welfare reform that many Democrats opposed. He has opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Lieberman also has been outspoken in criticising daytime television shows that focus on sex and violence, and called on their corporate sponsors to cancel advertising. He and others also took aim at "gangsta rap" music that they said glamourised violence.