Vice President Gore is naming Joe Lieberman as his running mate today on the democrat ticket. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley likes the Connecticut Senator as an individual, but Grassley — a loyal republican — says he doesn’t like Lieberman’s democrat policies.Grassley calls Lieberman a “big spender” who has traditionally voted against republican-proposed tax reductions.Grassley says Lieberman will “add emphasis to the liberalism of the Gore ticket.” Lieberman is the first Jew on a major party’s presidential ticket, but Grassley doesn’t think that will cause much of a stir in this presidential race.Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has known Lieberman for nearly two decades. He worked with Lieberman when he was Connecticut’s Attorney General for six years on several multi-state projects. Miller says Gore made a good choice for his V-P. He says Lieberman will help the ticket in many ways.Miller agrees with Grassley in that Lieberman’s religion should not play a significant role in the November election.Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who had been on Gore’s V-P list, says Lieberman is a “solid choice” based on his personal and political integrity. Grassley is returning fire over claims from Harkin and other democrats that the republican ticket is tied to big oil companies. Grassley says George Bush was last in the oil business in 1982. He says Dick Cheyney’s business supplied equipment, but was not in the oil business.Grassley says it’s also not true that the Bush/Cheney ticket would try to keep energy prices high.
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