Gore chooses Lieberman

Vice President Al Gore has selected Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate, rounding out the Democratic ticket with the first Jewish vice presidential candidate in US history.

Vice President Al Gore has selected Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman to be his running mate, rounding out the Democratic ticket with the first Jewish vice presidential candidate in US history.

"Miracles happen," Lieberman said outside his house in New Haven, his voice wavering with emotion. He said Gore aides told him to expect a telephone call from the vice president later Monday.

Gore planned to offer Lieberman the job in the telephone call, according to several Democratic sources familiar with the vice president's thinking, all speaking on condition of anonymity.

Lieberman said he was sure his record would be combed for issues on which the two had disagreed, but he added, "Al Gore and I have pretty much walked the same path, and where we've had disagreements they've been good-faith disagreements, never disagreements that touch our values."

Picking the moderate Democrat and self-styled moral crusader as his running mate signals an effort by Gore to win over independent and Republican voters and distance himself from President Bill Clinton's controversies.

Lieberman was the first prominent Democratic lawmaker to openly criticise the president's conduct with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

Polls show Republican cabdidate George W. Bush benefiting from the so-called "Clinton fatigue."

The sources said Gore made his decision after discussions late Sunday night and early Monday morning with top advisers, including former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who headed the search process.

The vice president and his running mate will appear together at a noontime rally Tuesday in Nashville.

The Gore campaign hoped Lieberman's selection would be a bold stroke heading into next week's Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. He trails rival Bush in polls after last week's Republican convention.

One Democratic ally said Gore was driven in part by a need to make a pre-convention splash, which Lieberman's religion provides.

The source said the vice president has been disturbed by polls giving Bush a double-digit lead and he fears the election will slip away unless he uses this critical two-week period to gain significant ground, particularly among independents and women.