WASHINGTON, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The man who beat U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in Connecticut's Democratic primary, Ned Lamont, says his victory does not mean the public is softening on terror.
Lamont, a businessman newcomer to the political stage, told Fox News Sunday the Iraq war is not connected to the war on terror.
Lamont defeated Lieberman, who is running now as an independent to hold his seat, largely on the strength of his opposition to the Iraq war, which Lieberman supports.
"What this election showed is that a lot of people in Connecticut think that the invasion of Iraq has nothing to do with our war on terror," Lamont said. "It's been a terrible distraction."
He cited the alleged plot to blow up a number of transatlantic flights from Britain to the United States.
"It (the alleged plot) originated in Pakistan, goes through London, and here we have 132,000 of our bravest troops stuck in the middle of a civil war in Iraq," Lamont said.
Asked about a comment by Vice President Dick Cheney, who said that Lamont's primary victory encourages "al-Qaida types," Lamont said, "I find that terribly harsh and wrong. Look ... what we ought to be doing is fighting the war on terror in a serious way. I think we've gotten a little bit complacent, to tell you the truth. Maybe we've had a wake-up call in the last couple of days."
