Lieberman Calls Obama 'Naïve,' May Bolt Party in Future

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 3:23 PM

By: Tim Collie and David Patten

Sen. Barack Obama’s “naïve” world view could embolden America’s enemies during one of the most dangerous periods for America since the 1930s, U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman told Newsmax in an exclusive television sit-down interview Tuesday.

Lieberman, visiting Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also told Newsmax that he is so disappointed with the Democratic Party, he will consider whether to bolt the Democratic Senate caucus next session.

[You can see the full video broadcast on Newsmax.tv — Go Here Now ].

“I believe he’s naïve to think that people like [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad and Tehran will somehow become America’s friends by talking to them — a warm embrace and a cup of tea. It’s not going to work that way,” said Lieberman.

McCain’s recent decline in the polls was “unfair” and “not rational,” Lieberman said, referring to the negative economic news that has impacted the McCain campaign.

The Connecticut senator suggested that many Americans don’t realize that the global economic crisis is also a security crisis—one that will require an experienced foreign policy hand like McCain to navigate.

“Frankly, he has to convince the American people that Barack Obama is not ready for prime time, that he’s not ready to be president of the United States,’’ Lieberman said. “Particularly not now, when we’re in two wars abroad and facing the most serious economic crisis we’ve faced since the Great Depression.”

McCain’s recent drop in the polls, Lieberman said, stems from voter reaction to the subprime meltdown.

“The economy has had such a crisis the past couple of weeks, that for reasons that I don’t think are fair or rational, Senator McCain seems to be losing as a result, and Senator Obama seems to be gaining. It’s the only thing that’s really changed,” he said.

“The very fact that the American people clearly trust John McCain more in a national security crisis is exactly the reason why they should have more confidence in him in an economic security crisis than Senator Obama,” said Lieberman.

In a wide-ranging interview, Lieberman also said:

• It’s important for the political process to question Obama’s ties to former Weather Underground bomber Bill Ayers: “I think these are very fair questions and it’s now up to Senator Obama to answer them.”

• Barack Obama is clearly ‘not ready’ yet to be commander in chief, and the country’s adversaries, including Iran “will not fear him” if he were to become president.

• McCain needs to persuade voters that “based on his record, that he really is the one who will change Washington, and Washington truly needs to be changed.”

• McCain should tout his economic plan that will emphasize tax cuts and job creation — exactly what a troubled economy needs. He said it would be foolhardy to raise taxes in a recession, as Obama has promised.

• The Republicans must emphasize that his plan for energy independence will create “hundreds of thousands, I think millions of new jobs.”

Asked if he may leave his party and join with Senate Republicans, Lieberman said he had no immediate plans to make that move, but said he would consider it at a later date.

“The Democratic Party of today is not the Democratic Party that I joined in the '60s under my hero President Kennedy, and it’s not the Democratic Party of my dear friend Bill Clinton,” Lieberman said.

Still, Lieberman insists his main focus today is to get McCain elected president and has spent the past several months traveling the campaign trail on McCain’s behalf. On Monday night, he introduced McCain's vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, to a Boca Raton audience at an event that raised more than $1 million.

[You can see the full video broadcast on Newsmax.tv — Go Here Now ].

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