Et Tu, Ben Nelson?

[CatWoman]

Now to the revered. In Nebraska, the state Democratic Party is up with an ad attacking the campaign of former Ameritrade executive Pete Ricketts (R) and praising Sen. Ben Nelson (D) for his independence. "We know no one's more independent than Ben," says the ad's narrator. The ad then features a clip from Bush's visit to Nebraska in February 2005 (in the midst of the failed selling of his Social Security reform proposal) in which he praises Nelson as "a man with whom I can work, a person who's willing to put partsianship aside to focus on what's right for America."

Ever since Bush uttered those words, Nelson's political team has viewed them as political gold -- essentially an endorsement of the Senator's centrist politics by one of the most popular figures in Nebraska. Bush carried the Cornhusker State with 66 percent in 2004 but like everywhere else in the country his numbers have taken a hit. In a recent Survey USA 50-state poll, 48 percent of Nebraska voters approved of the job he was doing compared to 49 percent who disapprove -- his fifth best showing in the country. Remember, though, that in order to win a second term, Nelson must win a significant bloc of Republican voters -- a segment of the voting populace that remains largely supportive of the president and his policies.


http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006/06/the_two_faces_of_george_bush.html

[AX10]

1. How did Pete Ricketts get his fortune?

[WI_DEM]

2. In reality Nelson has voted with Bush much more than Lieberman

but Lieberman seems so much more outspoken about being independent and attacking Democrats who disagree with Bush on the war. Also, Nelson does represent a state which is heavily Republican while Lieberman represents a much more liberal state.