Lieberman Takes A Stand in the Campaign

Back in 2000, Joe Lieberman was the Democratic nominee as Al Gore's running mate. Today, he is an unapologetic supporter of the Iraq War, and he is no longer a Democrat. He is still in the Senate, but he's now an Independent who usually lends his support to the Democrats in the Senate.

When it comes to his choice for the next president, although Lieberman is supporting one of his colleagues from the Senate, it's not Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama or Joe Biden or Chris Dodd -- or even John Edwards, who is now a former senator. It's John McCain, Republican senator from Arizona.

This makes three endorsements McCain picked up in roughly 36 hours. The others were the endorsements from the Des Moines Register, which I discussed here yesterday, and the Boston Globe.

It remains to be seen whether the Register's support will make a difference in the Iowa caucus, scheduled for Jan. 3. But Lieberman's endorsement and the support of the Globe may help McCain when New Hampshire voters hold their primaries on Jan. 8.

McCain's chances may be better in New Hampshire than they are in Iowa. Eight years ago, McCain was a distant fifth in Iowa and he hasn't put much of an effort there lately, either. But New Hampshire voted for McCain over George W. Bush in the 2000 primary.

The snow storm seems to have bumped just about everything else to the back burner in New England, as it has in just about every other place in the northern United States. But the Lieberman endorsement caught the attention of the Washington Post.

Actually, things might not be over as quickly as you might have anticipated. Adam Nagourney writes, in The New York Times, that there is a "growing sense among Republicans" that their nomination won't be wrapped up when the primary-laden date of Feb. 5 comes and goes.

And, if that is the case, all it will take is a handful of wins to keep someone in the race beyond Feb. 5.

Stay tuned.