GOP hearts Lieberman

A blast from the past.

But Republicans sarcastically responded to the choice by calling for a Gore-Lieberman debate, pointing out that the Democratic vice presidential candidate and the GOP's nominee, Texas Gov. George W. Bush, have held similar views on school voucher programs, privatizing part of the Social Security program, and the need for a national missile defense system.

During the Democratic primary season, Gore criticized challenger Bill Bradley for supporting experimental school voucher programs in the Senate.

"Instead of meaningful public school choice and competition, he proposes private school vouchers draining away precious public dollars from our private schools, giving them to private schools that are not accountable at all," Gore said during one debate with Bradley, a former senator from New Jersey.

Although he was taking aim at his Democratic primary challenger, Gore could have very well been talking about Lieberman, who voted with Bradley on a number of school voucher programs during the mid 1990s.

Republicans also say that Gore is at odds with his running mate on Social Security, pointing to a 1998 interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, in which Lieberman called privatization proposals "innovative."

"We're going to see a kind of old Democratic Party, new Democratic Party kind of split on this. I think in the end that individual control of part of the retirement Social Security funds has got to happen," Lieberman was quoted as saying.

We held our collective nose when Gore chose Lieberman. He ain't smelling any sweeter.