Lieberman on mission to capture N.H. votes

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- Senator Joseph I. Lieberman declared yesterday that his own road to the White House begins in New Hampshire, as he sought to distinguish himself from his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination by citing his integrity.

Making his first trip to the state since announcing that he was skipping the Iowa caucuses, the Connecticut senator accused President Bush of deceiving Americans with his rationale for war with Iraq and criticized some of his party rivals for supporting congressional authorization for the war but then attacking the administration in its aftermath.

"I say, respectfully but directly, that some of the other Democratic candidates on the war in Iraq have had several positions, and they differ based on the time and location," Lieberman told a luncheon meeting of the Rochester Rotary Club in a comment that echoed his criticism of Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and former Army General Wesley K. Clark in a debate Sunday night. "If you aspire to be commander in chief, you've got to have a clarity of judgment and the courage to keep those convictions about what you think is right for our country, regardless of where you are."

In a separate shot at the president, Lieberman's campaign announced it was creating a website, www.bushintegritywatch.com, to chronicle alleged distortions and deceptions by the president. Chief among them, the senator said, was Bush pushing a war with Iraq -- a conflict Lieberman supported -- without adequately building a coalition of wartime allies and planning for a postwar occupation.

"My charge here is that by its economic policies, this administration has abandoned the American middle class, and by its foreign policies, has discredited what I believe is the just cause of the war on tyranny and the war on terrorism," Lieberman told the Rotarians.

In comments to the group and during an interview with the Globe afterward, Lieberman said a compressed political calendar had forced him to reallocate his campaign cash and personal campaigning time away from Iowa and toward the Jan. 27 New Hampshire primary and the eight primaries and caucuses scheduled on Feb. 3.

"You've got to, like a good leader or a good businessperson, put your resources where you think you can get your best return on the investment. So for me, this process is going to begin right here in the Granite State," the senator told his audience.

A weekend Globe poll indicated the depth of his challenge: Only 5 percent of likely New Hampshire primary voters said they supported Lieberman. That was far behind the other two New Englanders in the race. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean led at 37 percent, while Kerry placed second with 24 percent.

In the interview, Lieberman refused to speculate about his chances but pledged to spend more time campaigning in New Hampshire. He said his campaign will open four new offices in New Hampshire, giving it a total of 10.

"I understand there is a kind of a battle right now between Howard Dean and John Kerry, but there's three months to the primary and a lot of voters are undecided," the senator said. "New Hampshire voters are notoriously and famously independent-minded and like to surprise. I'm going to do better than expected."

Glen Johnson can be reached at johnson@globe.com.