Rove Rejects Lieberman For GOP Ticket

By Steve Benen

(Political Animal)  ROVE REJECTS LIEBERMAN FOR GOP TICKET.... For all the talk about divisions within the Democratic Party -- and for most of the convention, it's been the media's favorite topic of conversation -- it looks like Republicans are dealing with some fairly serious schisms of their own.

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed.

Lieberman "laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it," said one source familiar with the details.

"Rove called Lieberman," recounted a second source. "Lieberman told him he would not make that call." Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

This report comes just one day after Bob Novak reported, "Reports of strong support within John McCain's presidential campaign for Independent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman as the Republican candidate for vice president are not a fairy tale." Novak added that Lieberman has personally warned McCain about the dangers associated with picking him for the Republican ticket, though Lieberman responded to Novak's report with an aggressive media push, insisting that Novak's report about behind-the-scenes warnings is "totally and absolutely false."

Kristol and Brooks like the idea of the pairing, while the religious right is already threatening a walkout.

I seriously doubt Democrats would be lucky enough to see McCain actually select Lieberman for the ticket, and I suspect this is a ruse to make McCain's eventual pick more palatable to the Republican base.

I guess we'll find out soon enough -- McCain has made his selection, and will announce his pick tomorrow at an event in Ohio.