Republicans back Joe Lieberman

[T_i_B]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/08/20/wlieb20.xml

Senior Republican strategists have thrown a politcal lifeline to Joe Lieberman, the Democratic senator ousted by a Left-wing challenger over his support for the Iraq war, by supporting him through a military veterans group.

Mr Lieberman's 18-year Senate career appeared to be at an end after Connecticut's Democratic primary earlier this month when he was narrowly defeated by Ned Lamont, a millionaire newcomer who ran on the single issue of opposing the Iraq war.

But his new strategy of running in the November Senate elections as an independent candidate who would appeal to Republican voters is already paying off after the White House declined to back the official Republican candidate and a poll last week gave Mr Lieberman a 12-point advantage over Mr Lamont.

In an increasingly bitter election battle, the new Veterans for Freedom group has begun running advertisements for Mr Lieberman and senior Democrats have warned that he risks being shunned by his former colleagues in Washington if he is re-elected. The group hopes to split the Democratic vote in Connecticut - traditionally a staunchy liberal state - and give the Republicans a better chance of winning. All three Republican Congressional candidates in Connecticut have praised Mr Lieberman while failing to endorse their own nominee, Alan Schlesinger. Mr Lieberman's candidacy has also been enorsed by Newt Gingrich, the Republican who once served as House speaker.