STAMFORD, Conn. – The Iraq war, the issue that has dominated the Senate race between Joe Lieberman and Ned Lamont, was hardly mentioned as the two faced off yesterday.
None of the questioners at the debate – all journalists – asked the pro-war three-term incumbent and his anti-war Democratic rival about Iraq, the issue that also tops the list of important issues in nearly every political race this year.
Instead, the two traded bitter attacks after questions about illegal immigration, Social Security, whether Lamont laid off workers from his company, and how he handled a flap over a supporter questioning Lieberman on civil rights.
“I was sort of surprised” that Iraq was not more of an issue, Lamont told reporters after the hourlong lunchtime debate at the Stamford Marriott.
Lamont, who has struggled to fend off being known as a one-issue candidate, mentioned Iraq only a few times in the debate, which had loose rules.
“It’s not negative to say, we’ve got to change course in Iraq,” Lamont, who’s trailing in polls, said in his opening remarks. “The war in Iraq has weakened our country at home, it’s weakened our country abroad, it’s not making us safer, and we’re not dealing with the real war on terror.”
At another point, he said, “I’m running against a career politician who says, ‘Stay the course’ ” in Iraq, and added that it was time to “redeploy our forces.”
Lieberman, a lifetime Democrat whose staunch support of the war and perceived coziness with President Bush has hobbled him, said at the very end that he wanted “to end the war in Iraq [and] bring our troops home without compromising the security of the American people.”
Both candidates took their shots at negative campaigning instead.
“I’d ask you to think about an apology for some of the other distortions that your campaign has put out on me,” Lieberman said to Lamont, accusing his rival of running “one of the most bitter campaigns in a very bitter and divisive election year” and inviting people to keep score.
“This is not a race about left and right, it’s a race about right and wrong,” said Lamont, a cable-TV company millionaire, who blasted back that Lieberman had been guilty of “false” ads with a spot claiming Lamont had laid off a high percent of his workers over the years.
And he faulted Lieberman for missing homeland-security votes, saying, “Sir, I’m just holding you to your own record.”
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Face-off
‘This is not a race about left and right, it’s a race about right and wrong.’ – Ned Lamont
‘One of the most bitter campaigns in a very bitter and divisive election year.’ – Joe Lieberman