A vote for Joe

Editorial

After New Hampshire, despite pundit claims that Sen. Joseph Lieberman is no longer electable, Jewish News still believes him to be the best presidential candidate to represent the Democratic Party.

We would support him even if he were not Jewish.

Lieberman is intelligent, informed and thoughtful. He does not pander to voters, he listens and connects with people. He stands by his word and lives by his principles. While he is an Orthodox Jew - a person of faith - he is neither arrogant nor self-righteous. He does not allow his religious beliefs to cloud his political judgement.

The fact that he is a hawk is not an anomaly; he follows in the tradition of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton.

Lieberman has impeccable foreign policy experience and could rebuild our tarnished relationship on the world stage. As a tested centrist, he also would help heal the polarized Congress and our divided nation. With a career of building consensus, he can reach across party divisions to establish common ground.

Staunchly pro-Israel, Lieberman has the experience and the determination to return the Israelis and the Palestinians to the negotiating table. Though President George Bush may be on Israel's side, he has done nothing to end the intifada's bloody, violent status quo.

Some American Jews argue that having a Jewish president would make us a target, that anti-Semites would direct their rage against Lieberman by attacking us. It's false reasoning. A Jew who votes against Lieberman simply because Lieberman is Jewish is bowing to fear. Indeed, one of the strongest refutations of anti-Semitism would be a 98 percent non-Jewish nation electing a Jewish president.

Others claim that having a Jewish president would make our country a greater terrorist target. Alas, the United States is already an absolute target. No matter who is president, many terrorists would believe Jews control the levers of power.

Lieberman is Bush's greatest nightmare. Because he plays strongly to the center, the Republicans cannot challenge him effectively on defense, fiscal responsibility or values.

In the Feb. 3 primary, Lieberman needs to carry at least one state. Doing so will increase his chances of making it to the Feb. 7 Michigan primary and the March 2 California, New York and Ohio primaries. In those elections, Lieberman can appeal to a larger, more moderate audience, improving his chances to win the nomination.

Right now, few observers believe Lieberman to be viable. We were hearing the same thing about Sen. John Kerry a month ago. In this volatile political season, a candidate's fortunes can turn on a single primary, and Lieberman could quickly challenge Kerry's current front-runner status.

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