Lieberman Defends Iraq War Support

Leading Democrat Joe Lieberman, facing a battle for his political survival sparked by his support for the war in Iraq, finally took the advice of his campaign staff and defended his position.

"Look at me folks, I'm not George Bush," he declared on Sunday in a last-minute attempt to persuade voters ahead of today's crucial primary in Connecticut.

Al Gore's running-mate in 2000, a candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2004, 18 years a US senator, Mr Lieberman is a veteran of the Washington hierarchy. But this year he is trailing to Ned Lamont, a political newcomer who made his fortune in cable communications.

Mr Lamont opened a double-digit lead among the state's 700,000 registered Democrats. The most incriminating piece of evidence against Mr Lieberman, in the eyes of Mr Lamont's supporters, is the image of President Bush giving him a kiss as he moved through the melee in Congress after the state of the union address.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll, released yesterday, shows the margin between the two narrowing, with Mr Lamont leading Mr Lieberman by 51% to 45%.

The fight for the Democratic nomination has attracted attention because it encapsulates the anger felt by many rank-and-file Democrats at their elected representatives' support for the Iraq war. Other leading Democrats who supported the war, including New York Senator Hillary Clinton, are thought to be vulnerable to a challenge from an anti-war candidate.

Throughout the campaign, Mr Lieberman has sought to downplay or ignore the issue, choosing, instead, to focus on domestic issues. He has also attacked his challenger as an opportunist.

On Sunday, however, he addressed his support for the war directly at a campaign rally: "I want to get our troops home as fast as anyone, probably more than most.

"I am not for an open-ended commitment. But if we simply give up and pull out, like my opponent wants, then it would be a disaster for Iraqis and for us."

Stressing that he had opposed Mr Bush on many issues, he said: "What I don't think is right, as I've said over and over again, are many of the Bush administration's decisions regarding the conduct of the war ... the fact is, I have openly and clearly disagreed with, and criticised, the president."