In a new Lamont ad scheduled to air today, challenger Joe Lieberman of 1988 seems to be making a case to reject the 18-year incumbent Lieberman of 2006.

"After 18 years, it's time for somebody new," Lieberman says in the Lamont ad. "It's time for a change."

The video is from 1988, when Lieberman's hair was longer and darker - and he was challenging Sen. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., then an 18-year incumbent under fire for missed Senate votes.

The new ad is one of a series planned by the Lamont campaign using Lieberman's own words and image. The first spot contrasts clips of Lieberman criticizing Weicker in 1988 with facts about Lieberman's present-day record.

"In this campaign I promise you I will not miss more than 300 votes," Lieberman says. On screen flashes a slide that says, "The Fact: Joe Lieberman has skipped more than 418 votes."

Lieberman's remarks Monday, which his staff hailed as a "major speech" on protecting children from Internet predators, seemed mainly a response to recent criticisms from the Lamont campaign over Lieberman's refusal to call for the resignation of Republican leaders, particularly Speaker Dennis Hastert, involved in the Foley scandal.

Lieberman has denounced the actions of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, who resigned abruptly last month after it was learned that he had sent sexually explicit messages to teenage boys who served as congressional pages. But the senator has stopped short of calling for the resignation of top Republican leaders, as many Democrats have done, and said that decision should wait until a congressional investigation into the Foley matter is concluded....

Lieberman also cited an Aug. 8 Washington Post story that reported how the Lamont campaign, in targeting the African American vote before the primary, had sought out rap artists to phone black radio stations and "remind listeners that Lieberman had once targeted rap music for promoting violence and drug use."

Lamont spoke before a crowded auditorium of 300 people, predominantly undergraduates, about his race to oust three-term incumbent Joe Lieberman '64 LAW '67 from his seat next month. Lamont spoke for thirty minutes, outlining his reasons for entering the race and touching on a wide variety of campaign topics ranging from education and the war in Iraq to what Lamont called Lieberman's staunch support of President George W. Bush....

While the issue that has garnered him the most national attention is his opposition to the war in Iraq, Lamont emphasized a broad spectrum of issues that he would support if elected to the Senate, highlighting free preschool for all children and more federal support for Pell grants. He also said the government had sacrificed public interest when it came to energy policy, the environment and medical care, blaming much of the problem on lobbyists' influence in Washington.

"Earmarks - this is the currency of Jack Abramoff," he said, referring to the congressional lobbyist, who has plead guilty to felony charges stemming from corruption scandals.

Lamont's Vision Right For Our State's Future

To The Editor Of The Day:

History sometimes brings us to a fork in the road. For the voters of Connecticut, the 2006 election for U.S. senator is a case in point. Everything else aside, this race comes down to very different visions.

Ned Lamont offers a vision of hope and optimism that real change is still possible. He believes that all Americans should have access to quality health care. He believes that we can prosper as a nation, without forgetting those in need. Those who heard Mr. Lamont's speech on Aug. 8, the night he won the Democratic primary, heard him repeat three times that we must treat the rest of the world with respect. In other words, it is a vision of justice.

...A vote for Ned Lamont is a message that we're tired of the status quo and that we know we can do better by each other.

Henry S. Turenne Jr.
Plainfield