Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: “Lamont Praised Me Before He Criticised Me”

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., ranking Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, takes part in a hearing on homeland security, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2006 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

AP: Lieberman and Lamont lash out in Conn.

Sen. Joe Lieberman bemoaned the nasty tone of Ned Lamont’s campaign — even as he swiped at his Democratic rival, accusing him of waffling on the Iraq war.

“Ned Lamont is running one of the most negative campaigns that I can remember,” Lieberman said in a telephone conference call with reporters Tuesday. “He constantly criticizes, criticizes, criticizes. And he blames me for just about everything, maybe except the weather.”

Lieberman, who is running as an independent after losing last month’s Democratic primary to Lamont, was responding to his foe’s complaint that he has missed 16 votes on Iraq since 2003.

“Senator Lieberman, how can you hold the president accountable for his foreign policy when you’re not there for the votes that count?” Lamont asked at a Connecticut event.

Lieberman, insisting he has a nearly 95 percent voting record, complained the attack was to divert attention from recent Lamont “inconsistencies and hypocrisies” on Iraq and the 1998 sex scandal involving President Clinton and a White House intern.

Lieberman accused Lamont of flip-flopping on Iraq: “Three different positions, in three different places on three different days. That’s quite a feat.”

Challenger Ned Lamont is playing defense after criticizing Joe Lieberman for his condemnation of Bill Clinton’s seedy sexual behavior with Monica Lewinsky in the White House. Last week it was discovered that Lamont had praised Lieberman’s rebuke of Clinton in an e-mail sent to Lieberman’s office.

Last week, Lamont rapped Lieberman for publicly scolding Clinton over the sex scandal. Lieberman’s Senate office then released a 1998 e-mail from Lamont saying he “reluctantly supported” Lieberman’s rebuke of Clinton.

“And so, one might say that he praised me before he criticized me,” Lieberman said. “I couldn’t resist that one.”

JoeMentum is gathering speed.

Ned Lamont’s offense is sputtering and moaning a 95 % Lieberman voting record is NOT going to win you an election.

Stay tuned…..

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Senator Joe Lieberman Watch: “Hey Ned, it’s 2006″

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