Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman remembered as ‘mensch’ who bridged political divides

STAMFORD, Conn. — The late Joe Lieberman on Friday was remembered by political allies and even a former foe as a “mensch” who both bridged and defied partisan political divides, during a funeral service for the four-term U.S. senator.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who ran for president on a Democratic ticket with Lieberman in the disputed 2000 election, told mourners at the Stamford, Connecticut, synagogue that there is no English equivalent for the Yiddish term. But, he said, they could find its definition by looking at Lieberman, who passed away this week at 82.

“They find it in the way Joe Lieberman lived his life: friendship over anger, reconciliation as a form of grace," Gore said. "We can learn from Joe Lieberman’s life some critical lessons about how we might heal the rancor in our nation today.”

A socially progressive foreign policy hawk, Lieberman was long known for his pragmatic, independent streak, which Gore noted sometimes “left him exposed to partisan anger from both sides.”

Gore, who said he first knew Lieberman as Connecticut's attorney general in the 1980s, praised him for being “ready to reclaim friendships that had been seared by disagreements” — including their own after their political paths diverged following the 2000 loss.

Embodying Lieberman's conciliatory powers, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont delivered a stirring eulogy, despite the two having engaged in a contentious battle for the Democratic nomination for Lieberman's Senate seat in 2006. The race drew national attention by focusing on Lieberman’s support for the war in Iraq. Lieberman lost the primary, but defeated Lamont as an independent.