They disagree on a host of important issues, from energy policy to taxes to the healthcare overhaul. Yet state Republican Chairman Chris Healy had nothing but praise for U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman.
"Sen. Lieberman's steadfast courage in defending the nation's interests won him many supporters in the Republican Party. Sen. Lieberman rightly saw the dangers of Islamic Fundamentalism and the long-term dangers its followers pose to the safety of this country. Sen. Lieberman continued to support policies that have brought political freedom to Iraq and to Afghanistan when many Democrats sought to end that commitment prematurely,'' Healy wrote in a valentine statement sent out today.
"These acts of courage and resolve almost cost Sen. Lieberman his political career in 2006 when radical liberals ousted him as the candidate of the Democrat Party, which once supported the foreign policies of both Republican and Democrat administrations,'' Healy said.
Healy acknowledged that Lieberman is a "proud liberal," whose views on many key matters are sharply opposed to those held by Healy. "But you always knew where Sen. Lieberman stood and he tried to be bipartisan in the process,'' Healy said. "We salute Sen. Lieberman for his service and wish him and his family good wishes for whatever the future may hold for them."