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Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democratic vice
presidential pick eight years ago, on Tuesday criticized his former
party's nominee as an untested candidate unwilling to challenge
powerful interest groups as both Republican John McCain and
one-time Democratic President Clinton have done.

      Playing his former party's spoiler, the
Democrat-turned-Independent called McCain - not Democratic nominee
Barack Obama - the best choice to lead the country forward.

      "Sen. Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great
things for our country in the years ahead," Lieberman said in
prepared remarks. "But eloquence is no substitute for a record -
not in these tough times."

      The Connecticut lawmaker, who sought the Democratic presidential
nomination in 2004, argued that Obama has not reached across party
lines to achieve anything of significance and has been unwilling to
take on Democratic interest groups.

      In a clear appeal for backers of Obama's former rival Sen.
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Lieberman said, "Contrast that to John
McCain's record, or the record of the last Democratic president,
Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic
interest groups and worked with Republicans to get important things
done like welfare reform, free trade agreements, and a balanced
budget."

      Lieberman was scheduled to address the second night of the
Republican meeting just eight years after he stood before a
cheering throng at the Democratic National Convention in Los
Angeles and accepted the nomination as Al Gore's running mate.

      He broke with his party over the war in Iraq and used his
platform Tuesday to criticize Obama's national security record and
hail McCain's. Lieberman, one of the strongest backers of the war,
said that while Sen. Obama was voting to cut off funds for troops
in Iraq, McCain took the unpopular position to support a surge in
troops.

      "Because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to
come home, not in failure, but in honor," Lieberman said.

      Seeking to reach beyond the GOP faithful gathered here,
Lieberman said anyone who's ever contemplated voting Republican
should do it this year.

      "Tonight, I ask you, whether you are an independent, a Reagan
Democrat or a Clinton Democrat, or just a Democrat: This year, when
you vote for president, vote for the person you believe is best for
the country, not for the party you happen to belong to," Lieberman
said.

      Lieberman also sought the Democratic presidential nomination in
2004, but lost badly to John Kerry. Two years later, he lost a
Democratic nomination for another term in Connecticut in 2006, then
recovered quickly to win re-election as an independent.

      His vote in the Senate gives the Democrats a narrow majority,
but these days, he often calls himself an independent.

      Former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean said Lieberman's speech would
be the most interesting of the night, and shows tremendous courage.

      "He's going to be punished by the Democratic Party and he knows
it. But he wants to do it because he thinks he's the best candidate
for president," Kean said.

      Lieberman was also believed to be among those on McCain's vice
presidential shortlist before the candidate selected Alaska Gov.
Sarah Palin last week. Bedrock Republicans reacted strongly against
the political moderate.

      Lieberman's speech also echoed the McCain campaign story line
about Palin: That she is a Washington outsider who courageously
took on fellow Republicans in Alaska.

      He painted McCain in a similar light, saying he's not "just
another go-along partisan." Instead, he took on corrupt Republican
lobbyists, big corporations and powerful colleagues in Congress.

      "That's why the McCain-Palin ticket is the real ticket for
change this year," he said.

Gallery

Sen. Joe Lieberman criticized his former
party's nominee as an untested candidate unwilling to challenge powerful interest groups.

Lieberman calls Obama young, untested

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