Sestak takes on Specter over Lieberman remarks

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) on Monday took on his Senate primary opponent, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), for comments he made about Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) last year.

In Sept. 2008, when Specter was still a Republican, the Pennsylvania senator said Lieberman should become a Republican saying that he's "practically there" in terms of voting.

Sestak tweeted a link to a blog post following Lieberman's remarks at the Republican National Convention:

Looks like @SenArlenSpecter got his wish for Joe Lieberman http://bit.ly/BylSG #p2 #hcr

"I’d like to see him vote with the Republicans when we go back in September," Specter said at the time. "He’s practically there. That would have the consequence of giving us a Republican senator. We could confirm a lot of judges. We could do a lot of things."

Lieberman, a centrist who caucuses with the Democrats, has drawn the ire of liberals for his continued opposition to healthcare reform legislation.

With no Republicans indicating support for the bill yet, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) may need all 60 Senate Democratic cacucus members to vote for the bill to break a GOP filibuster.

Specter in April switched parties to become a Democrat and is locked in a primary battle with Sestak. Both candidates have fought to claim the left flank in the race.

Lieberman was a long-time Democrat before being defeated by Ned Lamont (D-Conn.) in the 2006 Senate primaries. Lieberman eventually won the general election against Lamont but remained a member of the Democratic caucus. 

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