Lieberman VP Should Caucus with Senate GOP

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) would help allay conservative fears about being Sen. John McCain’s running mate if he pledged to vote with Senate Republicans for the rest of 2008, a pro-GOP group said Thursday.

Lieberman’s decision to caucus with the Democrats gives them their 51-49 majority in the Senate. But since he lost a 2006 Democratic Senate primary and won the general election as an Independent, he has never ruled out caucusing with the GOP. If he switched sides for the rest of 2008, Democrats could lose control of the Senate and allow Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to set the agenda just weeks before the November elections. It would reflect the infamous 2001 move by Sen. James Jeffords (Vt.), who abruptly left the Republican Party to become an Independent and give Democrats control of the Senate.

Lieberman, who served as the Democrat’s 2000 vice-presidential nominee, is reportedly on the short list to be the Arizona Republican’s running mate. Even though he is a strong supporter of the Iraq war, picking Lieberman would rile the GOP base because the senator is a loyal Democratic vote on most domestic issues, including protecting abortion rights.

To ease concerns, the senator could make several pledges, including that he would have no role in a McCain administration, would not run for president himself and would caucus with the GOP for the rest of 2008, according to the Committee for Justice, a staunch advocate of President Bush’s conservative judicial nominees.

The group says that if Lieberman switched sides, it would help the GOP add four more conservative judges to federal appeals courts before Bush leaves office in January.

“Senate Democrats would be unwilling to risk the fate of Tom Daschle by filibustering nominees so close to an election,” the group said, referring the former Senate Democratic leader who lost his seat in 2004.

McCain is expected to make his first appearance with his running mate Friday morning in Ohio.

– Manu Raju