Will McCain Pledge NOT to make Lieberman His VP?

Dr. Bill Smith, ARRA Editor: What if Sen. John McCain were to become the Republican presidential nominee and reached outside of the party to his friend Sen. Joe Lieberman to be his choice for Vice President. Or if Lieberman had a midnight conversion to a Republican? We need to know that McCain will only seek a viable proven Republican for Vice President

Why be concerned? Senators McCain and Lieberman are very close friends. Lieberman endorsed McCain as the nominee for the Republican nomination. Lieberman, a former Democrat, is now an Independent but still caucuses with the Democrats. Lieberman is continually referred to by McCain in his comments on issues. Lieberman and McCain have been in close agreement on a majority of issues in the Senate. Both are Hawks on the Iraq War. Both agreed on the Senate immigration bill that would have granted amnesty to up to 12 million illegal aliens.

Today on MSN, McCain said, "Joe Lieberman and I, one of my favorite Democrats and I have proposed -- we did the same thing with acid rain. They're doing it in Europe now, although not very well. What we're saying is look, if you can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions, you'll earn a credit. . . ." In the past, McCain and Lieberman teamed up to sponsor a bill rejected by the Senate that mandated caps on carbon dioxide and a market-oriented system for trading them. Those who needed more energy could theoretically buy credits from those who could make do with less. In 2005, McCain, Kerry and Lieberman voted for an "greenhouse gas" amendment to the energy bill that was rejected by 60% of the Senate. In a National Review article, Marlo Lewis in June 2004 wrote, "Who does Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) think he is fooling? McCain's Climate Stewardship Act, cosponsored with Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CN) is a political road map back to the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nations global-warming treaty that the Senate preemptively rejected by a vote of 95-0 in July 1997." McCain and Lieberman were both part of the Gang of 14.

Identifying the above is to evidence their closeness over 22 years together in the Senate on issues that were not often supported by most Republicans. Will their past bipartisan efforts and friendship transfer to being together on the Republican ticket? Imagine the disappointment of a McCain - Lieberman ticket. Senator McCain, please clarify right now that although Lieberman is your friend, he will not be your choice for Vice President!

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Tags: Election 2008, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, presidential candidate, vice president To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!