Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: The Debate – Lieberman – Lamont is a “SINGLE ISSUE” Candidate

U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) (R) and challenger Ned Lamont shake hands before their debate in Hartford, Connecticut July 6, 2006.
Washington Post: In Conn., Lieberman Defends Seat, War Stance

Shunned by many in his own party because of his vigorous support for the war in Iraq, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman clashed in a debate Thursday with a well-financed challenger who has roiled Connecticut politics and turned the Democratic primary into a national test of the antiwar movement.

In a hard-hitting 30-minute exchange about the war, Lieberman sought to portray his opponent, Ned Lamont, as a fringe candidate with little grasp of the military and geopolitical stakes in Iraq. Lamont assailed the incumbent for ignoring reports of rising violence and instability, and for cheering on President Bush “when he should have been asking the tough questions.”

Lieberman defended the conflict as “a lot better, different” than a year ago. “They’re on the way to building a free and independent Iraq,” he asserted. “The question is, are we going to abandon them while they are making that progress?”

The trasncript of the thirty minute debate is here.

This was the only debate and so now it is on to the ad wars.

Will Lamont successfully portray Lieberman as a puppet of the GOP and Bush Administration?

Perhaps

Will the well self-funded but inexperienced businessman be able to beat Lieberman in the Democrat primary election in August?

Perhaps – if the moderate Democrat turn-out is low.

Lamont has relentlessly hammered Lieberman as a rubber stamp for the president’s war policies. One well-circulated image of the Lamont campaign, featured on buttons and in a television ad, shows Bush embracing Lieberman after the 2005 State of the Union address and appearing to kiss him on the cheek.

Lieberman used his opening remarks in Thursday’s hour-long debate to complain that Lamont “seems to be running against me based on my stand on one issue, Iraq, and he is distorting who I am and what I have done.”

“Let me tell you some things that may surprise at least Ned but shouldn’t,” he added. “I know George Bush. I’ve worked against George Bush. I’ve even run against George Bush, but I’m not George Bush.”

Lamont and his Bush Derangement Syndrome Kossaks form the Left blogosphere will overplay their hand and deliver a victory to Lieberman while creating much angst within the Democrat Party. Democrat Party resources will be spent for Lamont while Lieberman, running as an independent captures all of the PAC funds along with covert help from the GOP.

Lieberman WILL win (as an Independent) but how much damage Lamont does to the national Democrat Party is only beginning.