Lieberman Out Of The Race

Sen. Joe Lieberman, unable to inspire Democratic voters who embraced his 2000 vice presidential campaign, ended his presidential bid Tuesday night after a string of disappointing defeats, reports CBS News Reporter Tali Aronsky, who is traveling with the Lieberman campaign.

He said he believed his "mainstream voice" was the right message for his party, but acknowledged that voters disagreed.

"The judgment of the voters is now clear," Lieberman told supporters gathered at a hotel in northern Virginia. " For me, it is now time to make a difficult but realistic decision. I have decided tonight to end my quest for the presidency of the United States of America. Am I disappointed? Naturally. But am I proud of what we stood for in this campaign? You bet I am."

The Connecticut senator skipped Iowa, finished fifth in New Hampshire and had no chance of winning any of the seven contests Tuesday night.

Lieberman never was able to overcome a campaign crippled by a slow start, tepid fund-raising and a moderate message aimed at a mostly left-of-center electorate.

"I offered a mainstream voice and I still believe that is the right choice and the winning choice for our party and our country," Lieberman said. But, he added: "Today, the voters have rendered their verdict and I accept it."

He said he may not have "shouted the loudest" but that he was proud to take "the toughest positions in support of what I believed was right for our great country."

He said he would support the eventual Democratic nominee.

A crowd of about 150 longtime supporters gathered to hear Lieberman end his presidential bid.

CBS' Aronsky reports his staff and spokespersons were in agreement that they were OK because the Senator was OK. Deputy Campaign director Brian Hardwick told Aronsky "I feel really proud of the campaign that we ran. It was honest and full of integrity until the end. We didn't get ugly or snippy". Spokesman Jano Cabrera said "everyone's real proud of Lieberman. He engenders the kind of loyalty that you don't see with other politicians".

Before he addressed supporters, Joseph I. Lieberman called both Senators John Kerry and Senator John Edwards to offer his congratulations. In his speech to supporters, Lieberman promised to throw his support behind whoever wins the Democratic nomination, Aronsky reports.

Rep. Calvin Dooley, D-Calif, an early supporter of the senator, said he thinks the campaign was not able to get any traction because Lieberman was "perceived as being less of a contrast from President Bush than other candidates."

Lieberman planned an afternoon press conference Wednesday in Hartford, Conn., to thank all of his supporters in his home state.

Using his vice presidential bid in 2000 as a springboard, Lieberman's high name recognition pushed him to the front of early national polls last year. But while former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's candidacy caught fire last year and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., surged this year, Lieberman's bid languished near the bottom of the field.

Lieberman had hoped for a strong, third-place finish in New Hampshire to propel him into Tuesday's primaries, but he ended up a distant fifth. The poor finish fueled speculation, even among his closest supporters, that he was about to pull out of the race.

Instead, he forged ahead, hoping to pull out a win in Delaware with strong showings in Arizona and Oklahoma.

He fashioned his campaign after Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was able to capture a large independent vote in some of the early 2000 primaries. But that support never solidified for Lieberman, and as uncommitted voters began making up their minds, his support inched up only slightly.

Plagued with problems from the start, Lieberman's first problem was a pledge to not run for president if former running mate Al Gore sought the nomination. The pledge, inspired by his gratitude to Gore for choosing him as running mate in 2000, put Lieberman months behind other candidates who were raising money and hiring top staff.

Supporters said Lieberman's support for the war in Iraq also cost him votes, as did a low-key style that never captured the attention of Democrats hungry for a fighter to take on Bush.

A three-term senator, Lieberman, 62, rocketed to national fame on Aug. 7, 2000, when Gore made history and selected him as his vice presidential running mate.

The dramatic choice made Lieberman the first Orthodox Jew to run on a major ticket, and faith played a key role in many of his speeches throughout the campaign. It also put a national spotlight on his religious practices and his longtime commitment to not campaign on the Jewish Sabbath.

The Democrats' strong showing in Florida was credited to his presence on the ticket, but it wasn't enough to deliver the presidency. Although Gore and Lieberman won the popular vote by about half a million ballots, they conceded the election after a tumultuous 36-day recount in Florida and a Supreme Court ruling that handed Bush the presidency.

Just last month, Gore delivered a major blow to his former running mate's campaign by endorsing Dean. The slight briefly invigorated the campaign, but it was all too much for his stumbling campaign to overcome.