Sen. Lieberman To Speak At Republican National Convention In St. Paul

Washington, DC (AHN)-Connecticut Sen. and former Democratic Party vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman announced he will be speaking at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this year, a sharp departure from his appearance alongside Al Gore on the Democratic ticket in 2000.

Lieberman, who is now an Independent and has campaigned for McCain over the last few months, is slated to announce Sen. John McCain as the Republican Presidential nominee during the party's convention in the first week of September.

Lieberman, who switched from Democratic to Independent after losing his bid to Ned Lamont in Connecticut's 2006 Senate primary, has also been a vocal critic of Democratic candidate Barack Obama, much to the dismay of some party officials. Despite Lieberman's crossing of the aisle from Dem to GOP, some Senate Democrats have continued to support him because their slight political majority is contingent upon his vote.

This is not the first time a party member has appeared at the other side's convention. In 2004, former Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, a Democrat, praised President Bush and called the Democratic candidates weak on defense in a speech at the GOP's national convention.

Lieberman, who is considered by many party insiders to be on McCain's shortlist of potential running mates, returns Thursday night from a trip to the Republic of Georgia, Poland and the Ukraine to help deal with the recent unrest in the region.