Delivering his first major speech since defeating Senator Joseph I. Lieberman in the Democratic primary last month, Mr. Lamont gave a broad outline of his foreign policy, suggesting that the United States should negotiate with Iran and Syria while continuing to support Israel.

Mr. Lamont also reiterated his call for a timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq, saying that the war had proved to be “dangerously wrong.”

“I supported our invasion of Afghanistan — that’s where Al Qaeda was, that’s where terror was breeding,” Mr. Lamont said. “Each day Afghanistan falls further and further towards chaos.”...

The speech is another step in a new offensive for Mr. Lamont, who is trying to assert himself on a variety of issues, including military force and troop withdrawal. His advisers say they are also trying to force Mr. Lieberman, who is now running in the general election on his own party line, to defend his support of the war.

Lamont, who defeated Lieberman in a Democratic primary as the champion of anti-war liberals, placed his world view in surprising company, praising Republican Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush....

Reagan may be anathema to liberal Democrats, but Lamont said the GOP icon toppled the Berlin Wall by following a U.S. tradition of bipartisan foreign policy and by marshaling world opinion.

Recently, Sen. Joe Lieberman failed to vote for or against a budget that included $50 billion for 6 months of action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Lieberman failed to vote for or against requiring the administration to report to congress every 3 months on whether Iraq is in a civil war.

Lieberman failed to vote for or against adding $200 million to hunt down terrorist leaders. Lieberman failed to vote for or against adding $20 million for a public relations contract to generate positive news coverage about Iraq.

Why is Lieberman not voting on these bills? Could it be that he is paralyzed by the upcoming election and is now not even willing to vote his convictions? What kind of message does this send to the citizens of Connecticut?...

Donald M. Currey
East Hartford

"Ned Lamont has loudly and widely trumpeted his credentials as an educator and in doing so has unequivocally given people the impression that he is currently a teacher in the Bridgeport public schools. Since Mr. Lamont is touting this credential, there are legitimate questions," Gerstein said.

"He has distorted Lieberman's record and he has a habit of mischaracterizing his own positions on Iraq. If he is not teaching, why does he continue to mislead the voters about his role in the Bridgeport public schools?" Gerstein said.

I’ve worked on a number of political campaigns, and I must say - this is the first I’ve seen a career politician attack his opponent for actually volunteering time at an inner-city school as a way to give back to the community. I mean, really - I’ve never seen anything like it. Worse, to actually come out and just lie about it and say that the factually provable reality isn’t true…there really are no words. It makes you wonder how Lieberman and Gerstein get up in the morning, look in the mirror and don’t feel ashamed of themselves.