Lieberman Could Pay for His Moderation

Joe Lieberman has always seemed to me to be a man of conscience, a centrist who votes his core beliefs. Not voting the straight party line is being construed as disloyalty and his party soon could make him pay.

ASHINGTON, March 6 - Just five years ago, Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of
Connecticut was praised for his cross-party appeal as the vice presidential
candidate on a Democratic ticket that
won the popular vote.

In recent weeks, he has angered Democratic activists nationwide for expressing a
willingness to work with President Bush to change Social Security. Critics say
that is just his latest act of disloyalty to the party. He already had supported
the war in Iraq and Mr. Bush's cabinet choices - and received a televised
presidential smooch at the State of the Union address.

I think he has betrayed his constituency and he is leaning way too far to the
right," said Marjorie Clark, a Web designer in New Haven and former supporter of
Howard Dean's presidential bid who met Wednesday with about 30 other former Dean
supporters and discussed a statewide "Dump Joe" effort. Others are trying to
recruit a primary opponent while passing out bumper stickers that read "Anybody
But Joe.

Five years ago he was a darling of the left, Vice Presidential candidate and the reason Al Gore won the popular vote. Now he 's being chastized. See what a little independent thought will get you in the "new" Democrat Party.