Lieberman: "I was hoping that God would send me a poor challenger"

[dajoki]

After Sluggish Start, Lieberman Heeds Alarms
NYT
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/30/nyregion/30lieberman.html?ref=washington

<<snip>>

Christopher J. Dodd, the other Connecticut Democratic senator, stepped in roughly six weeks ago with his own political advisers to bolster a Lieberman campaign staff that associates said Mr. Dodd viewed as too inexperienced for a campaign that had become so difficult.

Mr. Dodd recounted telling Mr. Lieberman that he needed to embrace his Democratic roots — explicitly and repeatedly. Friends described Mr. Lieberman as indignant at the challenge from liberals to his Democratic credentials.

<<snip>>

“I want to assure you that I’m not surprised that I am in a fight for the Democratic nomination,” he said. “I always expected that I would have a primary challenge based on Iraq. I was hoping that God would send me a poor challenger. I am being tested with a rich challenger.”

He added: “Look, I could have told you this would be very close at the end. I know now it is very close.”

Democrats who have been advising Mr. Lieberman said that until the past few weeks, he resisted urgings that he change the way he talked about Iraq and play up other issues that appeal to liberals shaken by his support of the war.