Rove to Lieberman: Drop the VP Run

Preaching to the GOP from his Fox News seat isn't enough for Karl Rove, Politico reports. The ex-Bush strategist called Joe Lieberman last week to convince him to withdraw his name from VP consideration; Lieberman laughed off the call and hasn't called it quits just yet. Rove's guy is Mitt Romney. “Rove is pushing Romney so aggressively some folks are beginning to wonder what's going on,” says one GOP strategist.

News of the Rove call comes after Robert Novak yesterday wrote a piece suggesting McCain's inner circle would like to tap Lieberman, but worry that he's a pro-choice former Democrat. And while Lieberman's supporters think he can differentiate McCain from Bush, most Republicans think the Connecticut senator would split the party's conservative base. McCain announces his pick tomorrow.
(More Karl Rove stories.)