Joe Lieberman tells Chris Wallace he’s not sure he’ll support a Democrat for President in 2008:
WALLACE: Let’s look ahead to 2008. Are there any Democrats who appear to be running at this point that you could support for president?
LIEBERMAN: Are there any Democrats who don’t appear to be running at this point? Look, I’ve had a very political couple of years in Connecticut, and I’m stepping back for a while to concentrate on being the best senator I can be for my state and my country.
I’m also an Independent-Democrat now, and I’m going to do what most Independents and a lot of Democrats and Republicans in America do, which is to take a look at all the candidates and then in the end, regardless of party, decide who I think will be best for the future of our country.
So I’m open to supporting a Democrat, Republican or even an Independent, if there’s a strong one. Stay tuned.
. . .
WALLACE: . . . You’re saying you might vote Republican in 2008.
LIEBERMAN: I am, because we have so much on the line both in terms of the Islamist terrorists, who are an enemy as brutal as the fascists and communists we faced in the last century, and we have great challenges here at home to make our economy continue to produce good jobs, to deal with our crises in health care, education, immigration, energy.
I want to choose the person that I believe is best for the future of our country. What I’m saying is what I said last year and what I think the voters said in November. Party is important, but more important is the national interest. And that’s the basis that I will decide who to support for president.
Implied in Lieberman’s comments is that he’s new to this whole idea of putting the national interest first. I guess in elections past he just checked the name of the Democrat. Wonder what he really thought of Al Gore.
