They had labored together to set up and sustain the Democratic Leadership Council, They consulted often on affairs of state. Their relationship was both personal and political. In most cultures, one blossom of such a rela-tionship would be personal loyalty. But not in Washington. In that hothouse, loyalty is a rare blossom indeed.
Friendship runs a slow second to personal advancement.
Thus, seeing a chance to consolidate his position as self-appointed moral authority of the Senate, Lieberman turned on his old friend. It's the stuff of playwrights. Editors have largely been supportive. Some have compared him to Hugh Scott, Barry Goldwater, and, of course, Lowell Weicker, who all turned on their president over Watergate. Commentators have showered praise on him for placing country over party.