At the heart of the desire for Lieberman as running mate is a basic strategic disagreement between the Bush and McCain high commands.
McCain's top strategists argue that the Bush coalition that won the last two presidential elections is dead and must be replaced by a new one that extends to the left, as Lieberman would. Bush strategists disagree, asserting that McCain is getting around 90 percent of the old Bush vote and can win the election with a few moderates added in.
The Republican operative who urged Lieberman to dissuade McCain from picking him believes that there is still a very useful role for the maverick Democrat in this campaign: as McCain's secretary of state. While an announcement in St. Paul of Lieberman as vice president would bring groans from the assembled Republicans, placing him at the State Department would evoke a standing ovation.
At this writing, nobody knows McCain's choice. He is keeping the selection process secret, and his closest aides are in the dark. Could he still name Lieberman after being told by Lieberman himself that it is not a good idea? Nobody absolutely rules it out.
Selecting a vice presidential nominee from the opposite party has not fared well, partly because the two most prominent such selections quickly succeeded to a vacant presidency.
We do want to thank you for stopping us from winning with Joe F'ckin Lieberman as Gore's VP, because now, eight years later, we'd be nominating the asshole and be about 35 seconds from declaring war on the universe.
UPDATE: It seems there's now a concerted effort to end this Joe F'ckin Lieberman nonsense once and for all, and the man behind it is Karl Rove.
Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.Oh man, this gets better and better. The Rove Chamber of Commerce wants to give McSame Mitt Romney as his wingman, but McSame wants Lieberman. Either one of those two picks will sink that ticket like a stone. The others on his list, Kay Baliey Hutchinson (killed from the short list even faster than Lieberman) and Tim Pawlenty (out pushing the uppity negro meme) are no match for Joe Biden. None of them are.
Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed.
Lieberman “laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it,” said one source familiar with the details.
“Rove called Lieberman,” recounted a second source. “Lieberman told him he would not make that call.”
Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rove, President Bush’s former top campaign adviser and arguably the most prominent political operative of the past generation, has no formal role in McCain’s campaign. But he knows much of the Arizona senator’s high command and has been offering informal advice, both over the phone and in his position as a Fox News analyst, since McCain wrapped up the GOP nomination.
His decision to wade into the vice presidential selection process could provide Democrats fresh ammunition to tie McCain to the polarizing Bush.It is also chafing some Lieberman allies and others wary of the selection of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
“Rove is pushing Romney so aggressively some folks are beginning to wonder what's going on,” grumbled one veteran Republican strategist.
The only option they have is to try to tear Obama down. They have nothing.
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