Lieberman: 'Time to Turn the Page'
The Hill reports:
Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) told supporters Wednesday he will not seek reelection in 2012, officially shutting the door on a Senate career that has spanned more than two decades.
Flanked by his wife and three children, Lieberman said at an event in Stamford, Conn., he has no intention of ending his career in public service, saying he's looking forward to "new opportunities."
"I have decided it is time to turn the page to a new chapter, and so I will not be a candidate for reelection to a fifth term in the U.S. Senate in 2012," Lieberman said in prepared remarks. "This was not an easy decision for me to make because I have loved serving in the Senate and I feel good about what I have accomplished. But I know it is the right decision and, I must say, I am excited about beginning a new chapter of life with new opportunities."
Lieberman pushed back against the notion he's bowing out because the odds are against him winning another term. While he acknowledged a 2012 race would be an uphill battle, he said, "I've never shied from a good fight and I never will."
The independent would have faced a tough road in 2012, with the math in a three-way contest stacked heavily against him.
Running as an independent, Lieberman likely would have had to win more than 70 percent of the Republican vote to be competitive. That would have been next to impossible given Republicans showed no intention of rolling over for Lieberman in 2012, as they did in 2006.
Reflecting on his time in Senate, Lieberman said he has "not always fit comfortably into conventional political boxes," but said he has no regrets about working with Republicans, particularly on foreign policy.
Lieberman said he was proud to have served under — and worked with — four presidents on "policies which ousted the invading Iraqi military from Kuwait, ended the genocide of Muslims in the Balkans, and liberated Iraq, Afghanistan and the world from brutally repressive, anti-American dictatorships."
