TS: What should we be looking for in our political leaders?

Lieberman: Character and competence are the main ingredients. A leader will have to be a hard worker who will try to learn as much as he or she can about every issue, and in the end will try and do what is best and right for the country. That's really more important than how a candidate feels about a particular issue, and it's really what we should look for.

TS: How does the media impact elections?

LIEBERMAN: The media has a big affect on elections because most people form their opinions of candidates from the media. Newspapers, and increasingly television, to some extent radio and the internet, has a real big affect. A candidate can have their own affect if they have enough money to buy advertising on radio or television.

TS: Does the media tend to overanalyze, exaggerate, misquote, or sensationalize their "news" about a candidate?

LIEBERMAN: Overall, I am not one of those who raps the media. I think they are overall fair. But the media are not machines, they are people, and as such they are imperfect and they have their own personal opinions and biases. Sometimes those biases get reflected. If you are the subject of an attack by a powerful media, it could hurt, unless you have the money to put your own side of the story of it with television advertising. That doesn't happen very often.

TS: What is the impact of endorsements from the news media? Is this bad journalism?

LIEBERMAN: They help, but interestingly, most politicians will tell you that the greatest effect of a newspaper endorsement today is how it re-plays out on one of their television advertisements. Say, The Greenwich Time or The Stamford Advocate had something to say about Congressman Shays. It would be as if there is a third party, an independent source endorsing him. Therefore, an endorsement in a newspaper does matter. Most politicians will take that endorsement and try and expand people's awareness of it through television or radio.

TS: Is that bad journalism to endorse a candidate?

LIEBERMAN: The Editorial staff of a newspaper is separate from the news reporting part. That's the traditional role of the editorial staff and it's a healthy role in a democracy where you want to have opinions circulating. In some ways, these endorsements challenge voters or arouse their interest in an election, or maybe inform them. I believe that it's a good thing for them to do.