While commending him for “courageously indicat[ing]” that the United States “need[s] to think about striking ... training camps inside Iranian territory with ... U.S. air power,” KNUS 710 AM Backbone Radio host John Andrews on his June 17 broadcast incorrectly identified U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (CT) as a “Democrat.” In fact, Lieberman lost Connecticut's 2006 Democratic primary and instead ran and won his fourth Senate term as an independent, as Colorado Media Matters has noted. Furthermore, Lieberman has requested that he no longer be identified as a Democrat.

From the June 17 broadcast of KNUS 710 AM's Backbone Radio:

ANDREWS: Well, it's been a busy week, Matt -- around the world in Washington, D.C., where I'll be headed tomorrow, by the way, and right here in Colorado, as well, some of the headlines that I want to be sure we at least touch on as the show unfolds today. The heat is more on Iran than ever, with Senator Joe Lieberman of all people, a Democrat, out in front even of the Bush administration in, in making it clear that we recognize Iran is the source of a, a lot of both the weaponry and the training even for some of the supposed rival combatants killing each other in Iraq. The source, the trace, leads back to Iran. And Lieberman courageously indicated the other day we need to think about striking those training camps inside Iranian territory with, with U.S. air power. More power to you, Senator Joe Lieberman.

As Media Matters for America has noted repeatedly (here, here, here, and here), a January 12 Congressional Quarterly article posted on The New York Times' website reported that “Lieberman has asked to be called an Independent Democrat.” As the article noted, "[I]f the compound modifier that the senator prefers was not going to take hold, then Lieberman's second choice is to be described as an Independent" rather than being described as a “Democrat.”