After serving more than 20 years in the US Senate, Joe Lieberman will retire next year. An independent who is closely aligned with the Democrats, Lieberman has always been an enigmatic political figure. Praised and vilified by both sides of the aisle, he is a pro-union, pro-choice advocate who supports gay rights, and he is an outspoken hawk on foreign policy who champions using force against regimes in Iran and Yemen. As he looks toward the end of his term, does Lieberman have enough political clout to make one last big impact in Washington?
Joe Lieberman (l) with Republican Senator Tom Coburn
Join Washington’s top journalists at the Monitor Breakfast as they sit down with Lieberman to discuss the latest defense authorization bill, deficit spending, and counterterrorism tactics. As always, Monitor Breakfast events are available on demand, at FORA.tv.
During the 2000 United States presidential election, Lieberman was Al Gore’s running mate, and most members of the Democratic Party held him in high esteem. He was the first Jewish candidate on a major presidential ticket and remained a reliable supporter of Democrat domestic policy issues. However, he often sided with Republicans when it came to foreign policy. He became a strong supporter of the post 9/11 security policies implemented under the Bush administration and was a champion of authorizing force against Iraq in 2002.
In fact, Democrats were so thoroughly fed up with Lieberman’s shift to the right that they refused to endorse him in the 2006 Senate race. He lost the Democratic primary, but formed his own party and won the general election as a third-party candidate. Since then Lieberman has identified as an Independent and no longer caucuses in Democratic committees. The last straw for many Democrats was his endorsement of Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) at the 2008 Republican National Convention.
So what does his political future look like as he enters his last year in the Senate? Lieberman did have plans to unveil a preview of his deficit reduction plan to reporters at the Monitor Breakfast, but aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D.-Nev.) made it clear that he isn’t a fan of the proposal. If Democratic leadership blocks Lieberman’s plan, he may end up appealing to Republicans instead, playing the part of the feisty independent to the very end.