Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the political water!
Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.
Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed.
Lieberman “laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it,” said one source familiar with the details.
“Rove called Lieberman,” recounted a second source. “Lieberman told him he would not make that call.”
Interesting on a couple of counts -- the notion that Rove is still in the game is a gift from God to the Democrats, who now have one more strand to tie the immensely unpopular Bush/Rove to the GOP's 2008 strategy. What's more, you have to think that Lieberman is under serious veep consideration for Rove to make that call.
Why? Republicans will revolt at such a selection (on abortion and on other issues), and the man is despised by a majority of Democrats (even a majority of his home state Democrats voted against him in 2006, and he's less popular now than he was then). His appeal to moderates? Maybe, but he's just not a warm or charismatic guy. I don't get it.
I have to say, Bunch you do not sound like a warm or charismatic guy. Karl Rove will ALWAYS be in the republican political scene. Another blog from a moron that fell through the cracks.— ObamaHATER
Comment removed.- If McCain is dumb enough to choose Liberman as his running mate, he deserves to lose. I dont get the Romney love either. That guy is sleeze. Pawlenty from Minnesota is McCain's best bet and almost ensures him the presidency.— Leron
- Clearly you're an idiot HATER. Any shot that McCain has of winning this election hinges on him distancing himself from the Bush administration (which he has plenty of difficulty doing right now with his voting record and his belief that the economy is chugging along). Any implication that the Bush administration's puppet master is pulling the strings for McCain will be pounced on by the Obama campaign to tie the two together.— Dr. Martin von Nostrand
- Comment removed.
- Look, having been on the receiving end of one of Karl Rove's screaming fits, I can tell you that he is not very well loved within the GOP. However, if you analyze the Obama campaign, you will see the methods that Rove employed to great effect in 2000 and 2004. For better or worse, he has irrevocably changed American electoral politics.— AJSHAW
- Dr. Dope listen, Karl Rove is no more a part of this campaign than James "diarrea of the mouth" Carville is a part of the Obama campaign. Regardless of that, they will always be a part of their parties advocacy. BTW McCain is not the issue in this election, Obama is.— ObamaHATER
- Nothing good to say about the democratic convention? Isn't this article, which is lame, even for you, part of the "old politics" that we hear so much about?— jfar86
- Comment removed.
- I like Lieberman, and this year is about 'not' republican, but would he alienate the rep base and would those supporting Hillary be swayed by Joe?— dan19148
- Rove contributes to the WSJ quite consistently. I suppose Bunch's newsroom cannot afford to buy the hard copy, or Will has no concept of business and he doesn't read the online version. Yet another example of Bunch being removed from the scene that he thinks he is a part of...— shoeshineboy
- Abortion has never seriously been on the radar. The GOP knows that Roe is supported by a majority of Americans, and that if they ever did manage to remove Roe, they would lose the of the main issues that keeps the religious right in the party. Homophobia is the other main issue there, and they're losing that one, too. A majority of Americans do not support the amendment that is called for in the GOP platform, and support for full and equal gay marriage is split about evenly.— Politburo
- Rove has been pushing Romney as VP since March; this is probably just more back channel pushing for Romney. I'm guessing Rove is being paid by Romney to do so, and that's what he is: a paid politician warrior. That's just the game and they're both playing it. But I think will is right - this gives the Dems more of a way to say "McCain equals more Bush" and that can't be good for McCain. If ever the heroic maverick needs to find his courage and independence to make a strong clean break from this kind of stuff, it's now. For survival of his Presidential campaign— GreyHippie
- "A majority of Americans do not support the amendment that is called for in the GOP platform" You do realize that the platform is written at the convention, right?— legatus
- Comment removed.
Will Bunch, a senior writer at the Philadelphia Daily News, blogs about his obsessions, including national and local politics and world affairs, the media, pop music, the Philadelphia Phillies, soccer and other sports, not necessarily in that order.
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