Lieberman: I Always Liked Obama

He endorsed John McCain in the election and called Barack Obama "a talker," but now Joe Lieberman is singing "Hail to the Chief." The Democratic-turned-independent senator has been showering the president with praise, saying Obama has "shown real leadership" and "is off to a very good start." But as the AP reports, Lieberman bridles when asked if he has embraced Obama for political expediency.

"I haven't changed," Lieberman insisted, blaming his seeming turnabout on his own failure to speak clearly during the campaign. Lieberman nearly lost his committee chairmanship before Obama interceded, which the senator called "very gracious." But voters in Connecticut may not show such forgiveness; a hypothetical match-up between Lieberman and a Democratic challenger shows the incumbent getting trounced by 28 points.
(More Joe Lieberman stories.)