WOODRUFF: All right, Senator Lieberman has been trying to get in here.

Senator?

LIEBERMAN: Thank you, Judy.

(LAUGHTER)

Not always easy with this crowd. Thank you very much.

This is a very important discussion, because each of the nine of us want to be the commander in chief of the United States military and protect the security of this country. That requires a clarity of judgment and the courage to stick by the judgment you've made.

Dennis Kucinich, Howard Dean, Al Sharpton, Carol Moseley Braun – they were clear and consistent against the war. I was for it clearly and consistently, but I respect them for that clarity.

I must say that I've been very disappointed since Wes Clark came into this race about the various positions he has taken on the war against Saddam Hussein.

Howard Dean is right, last fall, a few days before the voting in Congress, he said he would have recommended it and would have supported the resolution. After the war, he wrote a piece in the Times of London praising President Bush and Tony Blair for their resolve. When he became a candidate he said he probably would have voted for the resolution.

The American people have lost confidence in George Bush because he hasn't leveled with them. We need a candidate who will meet the test of reaching a conclusion and having the courage to stick with it. And I intend to be that candidate and that kind of president.

LIEBERMAN: I do want to respond.

Integrity is on the ballot next November. And what Carol said is absolutely right: George Bush has fooled the American people. He promised he'd grow and protect the middle class. The fact is, he squeezed and shrunk it. I've never seen so much anxiety among them. We will not get them back unless we can convince them that we are a party that will be strong on defense and will reflect their best values. And what does that mean? A sense of right and wrong, neighbors that take care of one another, a willingness to stand up and take on some interests like Hollywood and say that the entertainment industry is putting too much violence and inappropriate sexual matter in front of our children and affecting their lives and ours.

I have said from the beginning that I believe strongly that I am the candidate who can beat George Bush because I can take him on where he's supposed to be strong, but he's not, on defense and values, and then beat him where we know he is weak, on his failed economic policies and his social agenda that is so right-wing it has left the rest of America, including the middle class, behind.

Senator Lieberman, the next question goes to you.

LIEBERMAN: OK.

WOODRUFF: And it is from me.

You mentioned Hollywood. We've heard about Arnold Schwarzenegger, Republican, is going to be the next governor of the state of California. It's pretty clear there was a wave of voter unhappiness, even anger, in California, that pushed him out.

Now we have analysts saying that anger may not just be in California; it may be reflected in voters across the country at incumbents, at Washington politicians.

Two of the candidates who picked up the most steam so far in this campaign are not of Washington – with all due respect – Governor Dean, General Clark, two of them.

You have been in Washington for 15 years almost. Is Washington a liability? What do you make of this whole voter discontent thing?

LIEBERMAN: Well, first let me say that the lesson from the election in California I hope is that we're all not going to try to be like Arnold Schwarzenegger. You know, like this.

The lesson from California is that people want change. Gray Davis was on the ballot in California. George Bush is going to be on the ballot in America next November. The way to bring about change is not to go to a rookie.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you.

I want to speak about the Hispanic community and their contributions to the economy.

The best thing that we can do that George Bush hasn't done is close some of the corporate loopholes that give billions of dollars to big corporations, and instead give tax cuts and loan guarantees to small businesses owned by hundreds of thousands of Hispanics and others around America to create opportunity and growth.

But, secondly, on the Hispanic contribution to our economy, this goes to immigration reform. And the fact is today that hundreds of thousands–I'd say millions of Hispanic Americans are working, contributing to our economy, but they're forced by a broken immigration system to live in the shadows.

And they are subject to exploitation by people for that reason.

George Bush promised immigration reform–another broken promise.

He promised to work out an agreement with President Vincente Fox. He didn't. Governor Napolitano went to Mexico City, at least met with President Fox. He's coming here next month.

I promise you immigration reform, earned right to legalization for undocumented immigrants, temporary worker permits and an end to the limits, the inhumane limits, on family reunification.

That's my promise.

QUESTION: My question was how do the unions work into your plans for restimulating the American economy?

WOODRUFF: Senator Lieberman?

LIEBERMAN: What was the question, how do the unions–yes, look, the labor unions have been one of the great contributors to the American middle class.

LIEBERMAN: And it takes a strong middle class to have a strong America.

George Bush has led the most anti-union administration in the modern history of this country. He removed worker safety proposals. He tried to kill overtime pay for people. He has not provided an equal opportunity for people to organize. I'm going to reform the labor laws.

When I get into the Oval Office, I am going to put in a regulation immediately that will put back worker safety proposals and allow employees of the Homeland Security Department to get back the rights…

WOODRUFF: All right…

LIEBERMAN: … that George Bush took away from them to join unions as if unions were somehow inconsistent with American security. Labor unions…

WOODRUFF: Senator?

LIEBERMAN: … built the middle class. They can help make it stronger. And when they do, America will be stronger. Thanks for the question.