A commentary on the political climate: Lieberman's Primary Battle

I agree with Senator Lieberman on very little and I even had a newspaper column debate with him one time on gasoline price controls, but I really hope that he wins the Democratic primary in August. I can only imagine how little cooperation there will be by Democrats with Republicans if Lieberman is defeated.

Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona and one of Mr. Lieberman’s closest friends in the Senate, called him “one of the most decent men I have ever known” and simply shook his head when asked about his friend’s situation. “I hesitate to say anything nice about him, for fear that it would be used against him,” Mr. McCain said. “And that’s a terrible commentary on the state of politics and the political climate today.” . . .

Indeed, there is an unmistakable sense of satisfaction, if not glee, over Mr. Lieberman’s difficulties in the primary, even among people who consider themselves friends. Mr. McCain said: “This is just another of a long list of things I’ve seen that show you have very few friends. So long as you understand that, you can exist happily here. But you shouldn’t delude yourself into thinking people are going to stand by you instead of acting in their self-interests.”