Lieberman vs. Gore

Just whose side is this guy on? On many key issues, the Connecticut Democrat has directly opposed positions taken by Al Gore. In addition to the three proposed debates between Mr. Gore and George W. Bush, and the one between vice-presidential candidates Lieberman and Dick Cheney, perhaps a fifth one between Mr. Gore and Mr. Lieberman should be scheduled. Here are some examples of the issues they could debate: Partial privatization of Social Security Vice President Gore: "Bad for American families and bad for our economy." Sen. Lieberman: "A remarkable wave of innovative thinking is advancing the concept of privatization.... I think in the end that individual control of part of the retirement-Social Security funds has to happen." Tax-funded school vouchers Vice President Gore: Mr. Bush "proposed private school vouchers to drain money away from public schools." Sen. Lieberman: "There are some who dismiss suggestions of school choice programs and charter schools out of hand, direly predicting that these approaches will 'ruin' the public schools. The undeniable reality here is that this system is already in ruins, and to blindly reject new models and refuse to try new ideas is simply foolish. We can and must do better for these children, and to cling stubbornly to the failures of the past will just not get us there." Affirmative Action Vice President Gore: "[T]he true test is standing up to those who say they want to eliminate affirmative action." Sen. Lieberman: "You can't defend policies that are based on group preferences as opposed to individual opportunities, which is what America has always been about." White House fundraising Sen. Lieberman: "Based on the excuses the Committee heard in testimony to justify much of the outrageous behavior described above, we can probably expect even more surreal images than money being raised from a Buddhist temple, even more hustlers trying to put their change into the subway turnstile at the White House gate, and even more alienation and apathy from the people we are elected to serve."