In an August 30 article, Associated Press writer Andrew Miga misleadingly reported for the second time in three weeks that Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean has “abandoned” Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (CT), who is running as an independent to retain his Senate seat after losing the Democratic primary to Connecticut businessman Ned Lamont. In the August 30 article, Miga wrote: “Several top Democrats, including party chairman Howard Dean, have abandoned Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee.” In fact, before the Connecticut primary, Dean pledged to support the winner of the Democratic primary, regardless of who that turned out to be.

Miga made the same claim in an August 13 Associated Press article: “Many top Democrats, including national party chairman Howard Dean and leading senators, have abandoned Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee.” In fact, on the July 7 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, Dean told CNN guest anchor and chief national correspondent John King: “John, I'm going to campaign for the Democratic nominee, and if it's Joe Lieberman, you're going to see me alongside Joe Lieberman. If it's Ned Lamont, you're going to see me alongside Ned Lamont. We don't get involved in primaries. We do support the Democratic nominee chosen by the people in the Democratic Party in Connecticut.”

From the August 30 Associated Press article:

Concerns about the senator's return were evident in an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.

“We should discuss his schedule when he's in DC and whether it makes sense to go to Caucus events, etc. or not,” wrote a senior Lieberman aide to several other top staffers.

The memo sought input on 13 likely questions from the media about Lieberman, including whether he or his staff had tried to shore up support among House and Senate colleagues, and what kind of reception he expected from fellow Democrats.

“Once I have the rough answers from you guys I will turn this into a memo for (Lieberman),” the document said.

Top aides were still debating whether Lieberman should join Democrats at the party luncheon. Lieberman will appear at an awards ceremony at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday night, but aides provided few other details of his schedule.

Several top Democrats, including party chairman Howard Dean, have abandoned Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee. They back Lamont in the general election, a three-way fight that also includes Republican Alan Schlesinger.

Despite strained relations, Democrats eager to regain control of the Senate will likely want to avoid alienating Lieberman because he could potentially help tip the balance if he wins.

From the August 13 Associated Press article:

Lamont's upset victory last week, fueled in part by liberal bloggers, was viewed by many as a referendum on Iraq and President Bush's handling of the war. The debate has placed his candidacy in the national spotlight.

Lamont, who was in Washington for appearances on two Sunday TV news talk shows, is reaching out to the Democratic Party establishment for help in what is expected to be a bruising general election fight against Lieberman.

Many top Democrats, including national party chairman Howard Dean and leading senators, have abandoned Lieberman, the party's 2000 vice presidential nominee. They have lined up behind Lamont in the general election, a three-way fight that also includes Republican Alan Schlesinger.

Some Democrats are urging Lieberman to drop his independent bid to clear a path for Lamont.

“It would be better for the Democratic Party, it would be better for the people of Connecticut, it would be better for the country” if Lieberman got out of the race, Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said on ABC's “This Week.”