Lieberman denies Pentagon rumors

That Joe Lieberman is one slick politician and you can tell that he's a slick one by the way he comments about the Pentagon rumor. To but it simply, Lieberman can (and will) deny the rumor until the post is offered to him and then we'll see what happens.

From The Connecticut Post

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the president's go-to Democrat on Iraq, is denying rumors that he is on his way to the Pentagon.

"The United States Senate is where Sen. Lieberman wants to be, which is why he is actively campaigning for re-election to his fourth term representing Connecticut next year," said the senator's press secretary, Casey Aden-Wansbury.

[...]

Lieberman deflected questions about the reception he has received over his views on Iraq as he made his way into a Senate hearing room Thursday morning.

Rumors have been flying around Capitol Hill all week that Lieberman may soon replace Rumsfeld at the Pentagon. The Bush administration and Rumsfeld say it isn't so.

"I have no plans to retire," Rumsfeld told reporters on Capitol Hill.

Rumsfeld said in February that he twice offered his resignation to Bush last year over the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal but both times was asked to stay in the job.

Rumors that Lieberman might be headed to the Pentagon began surfacing after the senator returned from a Thanksgiving visit to Iraq with a glowing report.

[...]

Former New Republic magazine editor Andrew Sullivan predicted Sunday on NBC's "Chris Matthews Show" that Lieberman would be asked to succeed Rumsfeld before the next congressional elections.

"That's the back story behind Lieberman's amazing defense of the administration this week," Sullivan said.

Robert Schieffer, host of CBS' "Face the Nation," speculated Sunday that Lieberman might get the job and went so far as to ask Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., if he thought the Connecticut senator would do a better job than Rumsfeld.

"I think a lot of people would do a better job than Secretary Rumsfeld," said Kerry, who has called for Rumsfeld to resign.


[...]

Lieberman, who prides himself for his civility and centrist politics, has been rumored to be in the running for other Cabinet posts that have become vacant. Last December, it was to replace Secretary of State Colin Powell — a job that eventually went to Condoleezza Rice.

At the time, Lieberman said he was "not seeking a cabinet appointment" but would not rule out accepting such a position if it were offered.

Like I said, Lieberman is very slick. He must love all the attention he's getting these last two weeks...