Lieberman satisfied, surprised by political situation

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Joe Lieberman might be leading the Democratic charge to win the White House if one of the closest U.S. presidential elections ever had ended differently eight years ago.

Instead, Lieberman, the defeated 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, is now an independent. And to the consternation of many former Democratic colleagues, he's backing Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a fellow Senate proponent of the unpopular Iraq war.

"It's unprecedented for a former nominee of one party to be backing the presidential nomination of a member of another party," said Shirley Anne Warshaw, a presidential scholar and a professor at Gettysburg College.

Said a Democratic aide: "He's like that crazy uncle in the basement. A lot of people just don't want to talk about him."

And Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the Democrat's leading liberal voice, said: "It's troubling."

But Lieberman, 66, of Connecticut, first elected to the Senate two decades ago, shrugs off the criticism and voices satisfaction if some surprise at where he finds himself.

"I feel very good where I am in my public service -- even though I would not have foreseen this moment," Lieberman told Reuters in an interview on Capitol Hill.

"Washington needs a lot less loyalty to party interests and a lot more loyalty to national interests," Lieberman said.

"We aren't solving a lot of the country's problems because we are playing partisan politics. I think McCain is best prepared to deal with this. He is a problem solver."

Lieberman endorsed McCain in December after the Arizona Republican asked for his support. The decision buoyed Republicans, while Democrats' reactions ranged from disappointment to anger to an acceptance of his support for the war and of his longtime friendship with McCain.

BACKED BUSH ON IRAQ

In 2000, Lieberman was Vice President Al Gore's running mate in their failed White House bid.

A month after the election, a divided U.S. Supreme Court upheld Bush's 537-vote victory in Florida, handing the presidency to Bush and defeat to Gore and Lieberman.

Had they prevailed and been re-elected in 2004, Lieberman would likely have been a leading contender for the party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Yet besides the razor-close 2000 election, other twists and turns put Lieberman on a different track, much of it ignited by the September 11 attacks that escalated U.S. efforts to combat possible threats.

Lieberman was an early supporter of Bush's decision to invade Iraq. And along with most of Bush's Republicans, he has remained a backer even though public opinion turned against it.

Lieberman's position on the war cost him the Democratic Party's nomination for re-election to the Senate in 2006. So he ran as an independent and won a fourth term decisively.

"I'm glad to be back here as an independent," Lieberman said. "It puts me in a position where I can do what I think is right" without weighing partisan considerations.

While Lieberman has upset former Democratic colleagues, he's also earned their gratitude.

Other than Iraq, Lieberman routinely votes with Democrats and sides with them on organizing matters, giving Democrats control of the Senate, 51-49.

During weekly Senate Democratic meetings, lawmakers discuss strategy on pending matters. When they talk about the Iraq war, Lieberman remains quiet or skips the meeting, aides said.

In a March 30 appearance on ABC's "This Week" program, Lieberman suggested that the Democratic Party left him.

"The Democratic Party changed. The Democratic Party today was not the party it was in 2000. It's not the (former President) Bill Clinton-Al Gore party, which was strong internationalists, strong on defense, pro-trade, pro-reform in our domestic government."

"It's been effectively taken over by a small group on the left of the party that is protectionist, isolationist and basically ... very, very hyperpartisan," Lieberman said. "So it pains me."

"That's ridiculous," Sen. Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat, said in response to Lieberman's remarks. "It's self-serving."

Lieberman acknowledges he gets mixed reaction from former Democratic colleagues. "We're still cordial. But there's no question some are disappointed, puzzled or angry."

The Connecticut independent said he doesn't expect his endorsement of McCain to lead to him becoming the Arizona Republican's running mate or, if McCain wins, his U.S. defense secretary.

"I'm supporting him because I believe he's the best qualified," Lieberman said. "I'm happy to be a senator."

(Editing by Philip Barbara)