Is Lieberman at it again?

Is Lieberman at it again?
By LISA LERER | 9/21/09 4:58 AM EDT
Updated: 9/21/09 10:41 AM EDT

Sen. Joe Lieberman alienated a lot of Democrats last year when he campaigned for John McCain and dismissed Barack Obama as a “talker” rather than a leader.

He may be on the verge of doing it again.

In an effort to resuscitate some version of the House climate change bill in the Senate, the Connecticut independent is trying to get Republicans and moderate Democrats on board by adding money for coal power and nuclear plants — changes that would infuriate many of the bill’s liberal supporters.

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Lieberman’s staff has been meeting quietly with staffers for well over than a dozen senators on both sides of the aisle to draft provisions that would increase funding for coal and nuclear power plants.

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But Lieberman risks losing the support of some more liberal Democrats’ if he proposes wholesale changes in the bill.

Coal and nuclear plants are reviled by many environmentalists, who see them as dangerous and dirty sources of power.

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