Gore Chooses Sen. Lieberman as Running Mate

NASHVILLE —  Al Gore broke one of the long-standing barriers in presidential politics Monday by selecting U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut to be his running mate. Lieberman became the first Jew in American history picked for a major party ticket.

The vice president offered the job to Lieberman in a midday phone call and Lieberman readily accepted. “That was the call. It was directly from Al Gore,” Lieberman told reporters as he pulled up to his home in New Haven, Conn., cell phone still in hand.

“We said a short prayer together,” Lieberman said, adding: “Miracles happen.”

In picking the two-term senator, Gore chose a running mate from the political center, a devoutly religious man who was the first Democrat to condemn President Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky. Lieberman has also established his credentials as one of Washington’s leading moralists by crusading against Hollywood sex and violence.

A onetime state senator and Connecticut attorney general, Lieberman, 58, is chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, a Washington think tank that helped incubate many of the party’s more centrist positions on welfare reform, deficit reduction and world trade.

Aides said Lieberman’s faith was a key reason for Gore’s decision, which he made early Monday after a final marathon meeting with top advisors. (Although Barry Goldwater, the 1964 GOP nominee, had a Jewish father, he embraced his mother’s Episcopalian faith.)

Eager to dispel Gore’s plodding image, aides made comparisons to John F. Kennedy, the first Roman Catholic to be elected president, who was nominated 40 years ago at the last national party convention in Los Angeles.

“The pick says a lot about Vice President Gore,” said deputy campaign manager Mark Fabiani. “It says a lot about his judgment and his values. It’s a very dramatic and very bold pick.”

The two men plan their first joint appearance today at a noontime rally at the War Memorial in Nashville. Their ticket will be sealed at next week’s Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

By passing over other candidates with explicit appeal to the party’s left wing, Gore showed confidence in his ability to consolidate Democratic support--which remains soft--and reach out to the independent and swing voters he will need to win in November.

Lieberman has taken positions on issues, from school vouchers to defense spending, that are more conservative than many Democrats prefer.

Still, the reaction Monday was almost uniformly supportive across the party spectrum.

A ‘Bold and Courageous Choice’

“I wouldn’t say dancing in the streets, but we’re not gnashing our teeth either,” said Amy Isaacs, national director of Americans for Democratic Action, a leading liberal group that rates lawmakers on their congressional votes. “There are areas where we disagree with him. On the other hand, if you look at a 77% lifetime voting record for Lieberman versus 4% for [Republican vice presidential nominee] Dick Cheney, there’s a clear and distinct difference.”

Among Jewish groups, the reaction was nothing short of euphoric. “Al Gore has made history today and we are thrilled about his bold and courageous choice,” said William B. Dockser, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council.

The selection was even big news in Israel, where Lieberman was the lead story on evening broadcasts.

From Austin, Texas, the Bush campaign offered a statement praising Lieberman as “a good man.” At the same time, the campaign pointed out--and somewhat exaggerated--some of the differences between the vice president and his new running mate.

“From Social Security reform to missile defense, tort reform to parental notification, and from school choice to affirmative action, Al Gore has chosen a man whose positions are more similar to Gov. Bush’s than to his own,” said spokesman Ari Fleischer. “The fact that Al Gore is willing to select a running mate whose positions he has attacked throughout this campaign will cause many to question Al Gore’s commitment to the positions he takes.”

But a Gore spokesman dismissed any conflict between the two Democrats. “Al Gore is at the top of the ticket,” said press secretary Chris Lehane. “The ticket is going to reflect his agenda.”

In selecting Lieberman, Gore hopes to set up a contrast between “the new guard” and “the old guard,” as Fabiani put it. The difference is not generational: At age 59, Cheney is only a year older than Lieberman. Rather, Democrats hope to compare Cheney’s traditional Republican beliefs with Lieberman’s involvement in the “New Democrat” movement, which guided the party away from much of its reigning orthodoxy.

Moreover, Lieberman is a relatively fresh face on the national political scene, although he may be a bit too fresh. “In the South he’s largely unknown,” said Merle Black, who teaches political science at Atlanta’s Emory University. “In the short run I don’t think he helps much because people don’t even know who he is.”

Gore Uses Himself as a Model

In the longer run, however, Democrats hope Lieberman can help Gore present a more moderate image by amplifying his pitch for middle-class tax cuts, a limited missile defense system and elimination of the national debt. Gore similarly reinforced Clinton’s moderate Southern credentials when he was chosen for the national ticket eight years ago.

At the same time, Lieberman’s bipartisan reputation for integrity “helps Gore separate himself a bit from Clinton without ever having to say a word,” said Jim Margolis, a Democratic strategist.

In perhaps the most dramatic moment of his public life, Lieberman broke a Democratic silence to harshly denounce Clinton’s conduct in the Lewinsky affair. Speaking on the Senate floor, Lieberman said Clinton’s behavior was “not just inappropriate”--as the president said--but “immoral.”

Months later, however, Lieberman voted to acquit Clinton after his Senate trial, saying censure was a more appropriate remedy than removal from office.

Clinton, for his part, lavished praise on Gore’s pick. “I think he’s just an extraordinary guy--he’s an extraordinary, extraordinary human being, as well as a longtime friend of mine,” the vacationing president said Monday on Martha’s Vineyard. He walked away, however, when reporters brought up Lieberman’s stinging rebuke.

Gore came to his decision after an hours-long session late Sunday that lasted past midnight with top campaign advisors in a hotel suite near downtown Nashville.

True to form, Gore for the most part kept his own counsel throughout the discussions, although his leanings slowly emerged as the hours ticked by.

Although the vice president convened the final deliberations late Sunday afternoon, his decision was delayed for several hours as the group awaited the arrival of his most trusted advisor, his wife, Tipper, whose flight to Nashville was delayed by bad weather.

Until Gore announced his decision, he and his strategists contemplated each of the four finalists--Lieberman and Sens. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, Evan Bayh of Indiana and John Edwards of North Carolina.

Two others on Gore’s list--House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.) and New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen--were barely discussed because they publicly disavowed interest in joining the ticket.

Inner Circle Had Varying Opinions

During the final discussions, members of his inner circle clearly had different favorites, with Gore allowing each to make the case for his or her preferred candidate.

Among those most involved in the discussions were campaign chairman Bill Daley; campaign manager Donna Brazile; Frank Hunger, Gore’s best friend and brother-in-law; and Los Angeles lawyer and former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who directed Gore’s running-mate search.

It was well past midnight before Gore settled on Lieberman and ended the discussions by declaring “This is who I’m going with.”

In choosing the senator, Gore ignored a request from Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota to avoid picking a lawmaker from a state with a Republican governor. If Lieberman resigns his Senate seat, GOP Gov. John Rowland would appoint a successor--giving Republicans an additional vote.

Daschle hopes Lieberman will run to keep his Senate seat at the same time he runs for vice president, a spokesman said, which is allowed in Connecticut.

“We don’t have any reason to believe he’s thinking of resigning the seat,” said Jim Jordan of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

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Times staff writers Nick Anderson, James Gerstenzang and Doyle McManus contributed to this story.

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COMPLEX PERSONA

Lieberman has an engaging, personable side rarely seen in the Senate, where he embraces ultra-serious values. A14

THORNY CHOICE--Vice President Al Gore’s choice of Lieberman, a critic of sex and violence in popular media, unnerves Hollywood. A15

MUCH PRIDE--American Jews praise “epic moment” but express concerns about anti-Semitism. A15

ACTIVISTS HELD--Four activists unfurling a giant flag were arrested in what they called the prelude to next week’s convention. B1

CONVENTION PACT--Democratic planners and labor leaders agree to no pickets or strikes during event. C1