Former president gives Lieberman campaign a boost

WATERBURY, Conn. — Former President Clinton, campaigning to save an old friend from defeat, appealed to Connecticut Democrats on Monday to put aside their opposition to the war in Iraq and send embattled Sen. Joseph Lieberman on his way to a new term in office.

Democrats "don't agree on everything. We don't agree on Iraq," Clinton said, calling the conflict the "pink elephant in the living room."

But "the real issue is, whether you were for it or against it, what are we going to do now? And let me tell you something, no Democrat is responsible for the mistakes that have been made since the fall of Saddam Hussein that have brought us to this point."

In a 20-minute speech to a capacity crowd, Clinton went easy on Ned Lamont, Lieberman's Democratic primary challenger, whose campaign gained traction when he accused Lieberman of being too close to Bush on the war and other issues.

"He seems like a perfectly nice man. He's got every right to run, and he's waged a vigorous campaign," Clinton said.

By contrast, he lavished praise on Lieberman, a third-term lawmaker whose once formidable lead in the polls has vanished. The most recent public poll rated the race a tossup with Lamont, whose Web site boasts, "finally, a senator who will stand up to George Bush."

Clinton said Lieberman has long been a loyal Democratic vote on issues as diverse as organized labor and the environment.

The former president wasn't the only nationally known Democrat campaigning for Lieberman as the lawmaker sought to rebuild support among Democrats who long supported him.

Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, an ardent critic of the war, praised Lieberman for his stand on other issues. "If you want to meet a leader on the environment, a leader on all the difficult choice issues, you got one here," she said at a campaign stop at a candy store.

Lieberman has filed petitions to run as an independent if he loses the Aug. 8 primary to Lamont, although it seems likely he would come under heavy pressure from party leaders to reconsider his plans.

Clinton has said he will support the winner of the primary in the fall campaign.