Sen. Joe Lieberman warns that the United States probably will face a terrorist attack next year, and says he believes that Republican presidential nominee John McCain is better prepared than Democratic rival Barack Obama to handle such an assault.
"Our enemies will test the new president early,” Lieberman says during an interview to be shown Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Remember, the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration, and 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.”
Meanwhile, during an exclusive interview with Newsmax Tuesday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the four-term independent Democrat said he prefers McCain’s approach to foreign policy over that of Obama’s.
McCain’s experience “will make the United States' enemies weak and allies strong,” Lieberman said.
McCain “knows the world," Lieberman said. "He's been tested, and he's ready to protect the security of the American people."
The United States desperately needs a commander in chief who will be prepared to lead the nation from the first day in office, Lieberman said, and McCain is that person.
“We’re in a war against Islamic extremists who attacked us on 9/11, and they’ve been trying to attack us in many ways since then,” Lieberman said. “We’ve been very fortunate as a result of 9/11 reform legislation which Senator McCain championed.”
McCain is the candidate best prepared to take the reins of president on Jan. 20 because “he doesn’t need any training,” Lieberman said.
Commenting on the agreement the Bush administration reached last week with North Korea, in which the former rogue country officially was taken off the list of states that sponsor terrorism, Lieberman is optimistic, yet cautious.
“It’s hopeful, and I think Senator McCain feels the same way,” Lieberman said, “but we’re not going to know whether this is a significant step forward or not for about five years. It’s only the beginning.”
Lieberman points out that North Korea made only a partial disclosure of what it had promised before the agreement.
“Yes, they told us what they’ve done with plutonium to make bombs, but they really haven’t told us about how many bombs they have,” he said. “And they haven’t told us what they’ve done with uranium.”
At the same time, the partial agreement was reached, U.S. officials reportedly found uranium residue, which is used to make highly enriched uranium bombs, on some of the documents North Korea submitted, he said.
The North Koreans “have a lot of work to do, but it’s a beginning,” Lieberman said.
“You’ve got to ‘mistrust and verify’,” he said, paraphrasing a term President Ronald Reagan often used in reference to his own foreign policy negotiations.
“This is an agreement [with North Korea] that the next president, with a combination of strength and a willingness and intention to improve our relations, will have to carry forward,” he said. “I believe John McCain has both of those capabilities.”
Lieberman acknowledged that he and McCain have had “good-faith disagreements on some issues,” such as McCain’s willingness to appoint justices to the Supreme Court who might overturn Roe v. Wade, but that the two generally agree on the larger issues the nation struggles to resolve.
“We respect each other's positions,” he said.
“I agree with [McCain] on big issues like foreign and defense policy, climate change, and lobbying and ethics reform. But where we disagree, that’s the point. It’s time that people who disagree get together for the benefit of the country. We’ve got to forget our loyalties to the Democrat and Republican parties and pay our loyalties to America,” Lieberman said.
“Our enemies in the world will fear and respect John McCain,” he said. “Our allies will trust and like him.”
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