Gore offered him a spot on the ticket in a telephone call at midday, and Lieberman accepted, having known for hours that the job was his.
That was the call. It was directly from Al Gore, Lieberman said, pulling up to his house in Hartford, Conn., with a cell phone to his ear. We said a short prayer together, the senator said.
He was all smiles. Hours earlier, Gore aides had informally given him the good news. Miracles happen, Lieberman said, his voice wavering with emotion.
Picking the moderate Democrat and self-styled moral crusader as his running mate signals an effort by Gore to win over independent and Republican voters and distance himself from President Clintons controversies.
Lieberman was the first prominent Democratic lawmaker to openly criticize the presidents conduct with Monica Lewinsky. Polls show Republican George W. Bush benefiting from the so-called Clinton fatigue.
Gore made his decision in Tennessee after discussions late Sunday night and early Monday morning with top advisers, including former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who headed the search process, brother-in-law Frank Hunger, wife Tipper and campaign chairman Bill Daley, according to sources familiar with the events. The vice president and his running mate will appear together at a noontime rally Tuesday in Nashville.
Lieberman, 58, beat out five other finalists: Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana, John Edwards of North Carolina, John Kerry of Massachusetts; House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt of Missouri and New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen. After calling Lieberman, Gore began calling the others on the list.
Shaheen praised the selection as an excellent choice. She said, Hes a man of strong character and principle, and he really understands the economy were in.
It is a special honor to be asked to run for vice president with a man I deeply believe in, Al Gore, and who I think is ready to be a great president, Lieberman said.
The Gore campaign hoped Liebermans selection would be a bold stroke heading into next weeks Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. He trails rival Bush in polls after last weeks GOP convention.
One Democratic ally said Gore was driven in part by a need to make a pre-convention splash, which Liebermans religion provides. That Democrat said the vice president has been disturbed by polls giving Bush a double-digit edge and fears the election will slip away unless he uses this critical two-week period to gain significant ground, particularly among independents and women.
A Democratic centrist, Lieberman would amplify Gore support of fiscal discipline and middle-class tax cuts, Democrats said. The Gore campaign plans to draw a contrast to the GOP tickets ties the oil industry and other special interests.
Lieberman said he was sure his record would be combed for issues on which the two had disagreed, but he added, Al Gore and I have pretty much walked the same path, and where weve had disagreements theyve been good-faith disagreements, never disagreements that touch our values.
