Do not make the mistake of thinking that because my conclusion is the same as another person's that my reasoning is the same
If Lieberman can't even get his own former running mate to endorse him, one wonders how much longer his campaign will continue to be viable. One of the major things going for him in the polls has been name recognition and association with the Gore campaign of 2000. But he's lost even that now. And Lieberman is the only Democratic candidate who does not seem to have any support among activists. Moseley Braun is probably the closest after that but I know some people who are supporting her because they want a woman president.
It'll be interesting to see what the fallout is.
Lieberman was already a hachet man. Now, he'll go beserk. He's liable to take out Dean (or the eventual Dem candidate) since he has less than a snowball's chance in hell.
I don't know. I don't think it has as much to do with the question of loyalty as it does with the practicality of winning the election for democrats. Liberman is barely on the radar in terms of support among democrats. He espouses many unpopular positions, the opposition to which has been the main energizing force for the majority of the activists out there now. Lieberman supports the war in Iraq, opposed by most Democratic activists now. He supports the actions of Israel, which the larger body of democratic supporters oppose. He also, in some small way, supports the tax cuts, calling for the repeal for only a small portion of them. He is by and large, a very conservative democrat, more conservative than some republicans even, and that is not what will drive this election. Only a candidate who can provide a sharply outlined contrast to the current administration's philosophy will get the democrats out to vote, and that is what Howard Dean offers.
Gore simply did what he should rationally do. He even said that it is time for the democrats to get behind a single candidate, and the one that the most democrats will get behind is Dean right now. Lieberman might pull some conservative democrats his way, but other more radical elements will stay at home, or vote Green, if he is nominated.