Why Ned Lamont? Is it just his opposition to "staying the course" in Iraq?

Absolutely not!

I listened carefully to my sister-in-law from Connecticut, and she laid out some of the reasons that she supports Lieberman -- at least for the present. Basically, he has been a marvelous Senator for the State of Connecticut and I certainly couldn't argue that point -- nor did I even try.

But ... when it comes to what's good for America, it's not simply his opposition to the preemptive invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq that gives me a good feeling for Ned Lamont. It's his (possibly as new as last April, but so what?) concern for a number of social programs, above all of them being Health care Reform. When I read his statements about taking the Massachusetts plan for Universal Health Care and improving upon it (employers, not employees largely responsible for its implementation) and his taking almost the opposite stance from Lieberman's sad support of the Administration's privatization of Social Security, I was convinced.

Yes, I want someone who is good for Connecticut ... and Washington ... and Georgia ... and Oregon ... and New Jersey ... (well, you get the idea).

Admittedly, Ned Lamont is twelve points behind in the latest polls and yes, he may very well lose to the egotistic and opportunistic (but good for Connecticut) Joe Lieberman, but he (Lamont) will carry the flag of Progressives everywhere -- those who are concerned about the poor, the persons of color, the unemployed, the women ... and (for me) the elderly ... like no other Senatorial candidate currently running.

Richard, have your wife read the Lamont program for Health Care Reform -- Universal (with an upper-case "U") Health Care for all of us! I'm one of the few who watched Hillary stand forthright day after day against insurance executives, pharmaceutical executives and others more than a dozen years ago -- I've waited long enough!

And electing Lamont will help us dislodge ourselves from Iraq before even one more American or Iraqi civilian has to die needlessly. Maybe those twelve points in the latest poll can evaporate like the fifty points earlier before the Democratic primary.