ABCNEWS/NYT: Making a Gore-Lieberman Ticket

ByABC News
August 8, 2000, 6:33 PM

N A S H V I L L E, Aug. 9 -- In the days before George W. Bush announced his selection of Dick Cheney as his running mate, Vice President Al Gore and his advisers sensed an unexpected opportunity. Aboard Air Force II and in Mr. Gores campaign headquarters here, there was a consensus that Mr. Bush and his aides had bungled their selection process, that the Republicans had come across as leak-prone, rushed and uncharacteristically amateurish.

The Gore campaign swiftly set out to exploit this perceived weakness by trying to turn the running mate selection process itself into a political weapon. With lock-step discipline, Mr. Gores spokesmen derided Mr. Bush for conducting his search like a fraternity rush. They presented Mr. Gores method as dignified, orderly, pander-free and, above all else, private.

But the strict secrecy imposed by the Gore campaign shielded from public view an intensely political, highly competitive and sometimes frenetic selection process.

Again and again, Mr. Gores search was shaped by gritty political concerns that had little bearing on what he had repeatedly described as his single most important criterion for a running matesomeone possessed of the experience and ability to assume the presidency if necessary.

George J. Mitchell, the former Senate majority leader, for example, never made it to the short list, at least in part because of his work as a lobbyist for the tobacco industry, people involved in the search said. Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana faced opposition from pro-choice groups and gave his assent to a campaign aimed at countering criticism over his voting record on abortion, but faded nonetheless. Senator Bob Graham of Florida was hurt by his habit of filling diaries with mundane aspects of his day, a practice some in the Gore campaign worried would be viewed as eccentric.

On the other hand, Democratic officials said, Mr. Bushs repeated efforts to tarnish Mr. Gore with resurrected memories of President Clintons affair with a White House intern elevated the standing of Mr. Gores eventual choice, Joseph I. Lieberman, the first Democrat to condemn Mr. Clintons affair from the Senate floor.

The enforced secrecypotential running mates were warned not to divulge details about their contacts with the Gore vetting teamsalso served to obscure lobbying efforts by a select group of well-connected political professionals. Several of Mr. Gores campaign consultants had also worked for those on his list of potential vice presidents, and these men and women fought hard for their favored picks. One adviser, Bob Shrum, has worked with several of the potential candidates but argued for one of them, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina. Another adviser, Michael Whouley, argued for his former boss, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Only last week, Al From, president of the Democratic Leadership Council and an influential voice among moderate Democrats, lobbied both Mr. Gore and his campaign chairman, William M. Daley, on behalf of Mr. Lieberman, who is the chairman of the council.

The Message in the Method

As with any presidential candidate, the choice of running mate is an important and telling decision. Mr. Gores aides argued that the way he went about picking Mr. Lieberman illustrated several of his strengths, notably his meticulous preparation before arriving at major decisions. Mr. Gore, they said, has raised vetting to new levels of thoroughness and inclusiveness.

Although Mr. Gore announced in April that former Secretary of State Warren Christopher would lead his selection team, Mr. Gore actually began to organize his process months before. His vetting teams were led by such veteran lawyers as Charles F.C. Ruff, the former White House counsel who defended Mr. Clinton during his impeachment trial. The team that vetted Mr. Lieberman, led by Jamie S. Gorelick, a former deputy attorney general, went so far as to review the more than 800 legal opinions that Mr. Lieberman rendered when he was attorney general of Connecticut from 1983 to 1989.

Sheldon Cohen, a former commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, was drafted to review tax returns. Mr. Gore also instructed Mr. Christopher to consult freely and frequently with an informal group that consisted of Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman and former Housing Secretary Henry G. Cisneros, both of whom have faced ethics inquiries, and Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and Gen. John M. Shalikashvili, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

I gained added respect for his values and judgment, Mr. Christopher said when asked in an interview what he had learned about Mr. Gore during the search process. I found he went about the process seriously and conscientiously.