We mentioned this factoid yesterday, commenting that it reflected poorly upon John McCain that he wasn’t even in charge of his own campaign, and didn’t have the mental strength to stand up to nay-sayers in his own party. How would he perform against strong willed leaders like Vladimir Putin, for instance? I’d wager on Putin defeating Rush Limbaugh in a bar fight, or back alley brawl any day, but McCain couldn’t even stand up to the Vulgar Pig Boy, or “Mittens” Romney. Weak sauce, Johnny, weak sauce.
Only last month, friends say, Mr. McCain wanted to reach beyond his base and ask Mr. Lieberman to be his running mate; in that instance, though, party influence proved too strong, with many Republican officials and delegates insisting they would reject Mr. Lieberman because of his support for abortion rights and some gay rights laws.
[From Lieberman Highlights His Kinship With McCain – NYTimes.com]
According to Joe Sudbay of AMERICAblog, it was even more craven:
There’s more according to my sources in Connecticut (who have never steered me wrong). The word working its way through political circles in Connecticut is that John McCain actually called Joe Lieberman to ask him to be the GOP v.p. candidate. The “ask” was made. However, a revolt ensued, led by Mitt Romney and others, threatening a floor fight. That resulted in a second call a couple hours later to Lieberman from McCain pulling the offer.
There is so much in that little anecdote if my sources are accurate. First, it shows what a tool Lieberman is. Last night, Lieberman spoke at a convention where he’s actually vilified, yet he went anyway and flat out lied about Obama. More importantly, it shows what a wimp McCain is. He’s supposed to fight al Qaeda, but won’t stand up to the religious fanatics in his own party. Instead, McCain made an impulsive choice, Sarah Palin, who wasn’t vetted. McCain couldn’t have the v.p. he wanted. So, he was forced to pick someone he didn’t even know. Says a lot about John McCain’s willingness to gamble with America’s future.