Lieberman's Bush Democrat Tactics

Sen. Joe Lieberman is showing himself to be a Bush Democrat in more ways than one.

On Friday, trailing in the Connecticut primary to Ned Lamont by double digits in the latest polls, Lieberman chose to appear with Ed Schultz, but not Randi Rhodes. Rhodes, while interviewing Lamont, claimed that a call to Lieberman's people to appear had not been returned. Meanwhile, he had been on shortly before with Schultz.

On the Ed Schultz program yesterday. Listen to this audio link from 9:13 in and you will hear Schultz painfully get Lieberman to say that Rumsfeld should be replaced.

You will notice that he doesn't call for Bush to ask him to go, as he indicates, "Rumsfeld serves at the President's pleasure." Even more importantly, Lieberman says that a change at the top will "open some minds and rebuild some public support here in America." In other words, replace Rumsfeld as a public relations move to get support for the invasion in Iraq.

Lieberman's decision to avoid a challenge from Democratic hosts who are not Lieberman-friendly was echoed in today's Connecticut Post.

In an article entitled,"Lieberman, somehow, resists Cocoa Puffs' call," by Pam Dawkins, she writes this, concerning Stephen Colbert's attempts to get Lieberman as a guest on "The Colbert Report," on Comedy Central:

"Marion Steinfels, Lieberman's campaign spokeswoman, said she believes the senator knows about the invitation, that he heard it from a reporter. When asked whether he was going to appear, or why not, Steinfels said the senator is in the midst of a 10-day bus tour of Connecticut.

"'We are focused on in-state media' rather than national shows, because the campaign is about getting out Connecticut voters', she said."

Hmmm. Sen. Lieberman wasn't shy about being on with nationally-syndicated Ed Schultz and we know his fondness for Sean Hannity.

Considering that George Bush has made an art-form of appearing with a very select hand-picked few, it is clear whose style Joe Lieberman is emulating here.