Hadassah Lieberman Talks With Greta

This is a partial transcript from On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, January 26, 2004 that has been edited for clarity

Watch On the Record every weeknight at 10 p.m. ET! And watch tonight at a special time 11 p.m. ET when we bring you complete coverage of the New Hampshire Primary!

GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST:  Joining us now is Senator Joseph Lieberman's wife, Hadassah Lieberman (search).  Welcome, Mrs. Lieberman.

HADASSAH LIEBERMAN, WIFE OF DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE:  Thank you.

VAN SUSTEREN:  Nice to see you.

So, how is New Hampshire treating you?

LIEBERMAN:  Oh, we love it here. It's great. The snow covered fields... they're wonderful.

VAN SUSTEREN: You rented an apartment?

LIEBERMAN:  We did. We're in Manchester.  And just beginning to, you know, move my pots and pans out again because we're going to be moving out after tomorrow night.

VAN SUSTEREN:  All right. Take me back to when did you first meet Senator Lieberman?

LIEBERMAN:  I met him about 22 years ago.  We've been married for 21 years.

VAN SUSTEREN:  What did you think about him when you first -- what was your first impression of him?

LIEBERMAN:  I liked him.  He was nice but, you know, I wanted to take my time, and I just thought he was a generous spirit and honest guy.  And I got to know what I know today, what you see is what you get.

VAN SUSTEREN:  What is it that -- the one single quality, you know, when voters are sitting there listening, why should someone vote for Senator Lieberman?

LIEBERMAN:  Trust.  He's a man you can trust.  I mean, now he's a man of experience, of 30-plus years.  He's ready to serve as president, and he's a person who brings people together so they can believe in each other. And I think, you know, in such partisan times as we live in and such difficult times, it's important to bring all Americans under one umbrella.

VAN SUSTEREN:  I asked your husband when he was on the air what he thought of former Vice President Al Gore's endorsement of Governor Dean without even calling him, but as a wife, what was your thought when Vice President Gore endorsed Governor Dean and didn't call your husband?

LIEBERMAN:  Well, that's over.  It's done.

VAN SUSTEREN:  You weren't mad?

LIEBERMAN:  It was a disappointment.  Certainly it was a disappointment.  You know, they were wonderful to us when we were in the 2000 race, and I'd better leave it at that in terms of a good memory.

VAN SUSTEREN:  All right.  Every single woman who becomes the First Lady brings a different quality, different life experience to bringing First Lady.  What do you think would be different about you as First Lady?

LIEBERMAN:  Well, first of all, I'm a naturalized citizen.  I was born in the Czech Republic.  So that would be most different.  I don't think there is another First Lady who is a naturalized citizen.

The other is, I would so like to listen to the people and bring that back to my husband, bring that back to the White House.

VAN SUSTEREN:  Your parents are Holocaust (search) survivors.  Is that experience something that would enrich you as a First Lady, do you think?

LIEBERMAN:  Well, the fact that my parents fled from Nazism and from Communism makes me so aware and sensitive about what a democracy is, and that's why it's thrilling to be in a primary state of a democracy in New Hampshire.

VAN SUSTEREN:  How tough was the schedule up here for campaigning?

LIEBERMAN:  Oh, it's -- well, it's about 18 hours later from when I started this morning, and still going tonight.  It's tough.

VAN SUSTEREN:  Give me an idea of what you did today.

LIEBERMAN:  Well, I got up and had to go for a taping and then another one, and then went on the bus and we just went all over, Laconia and all over, from one place to another.  We've gone to so many places between yesterday, today and the day before that I can't even remember how many cities we stopped at.  And there's always interviews and a lot of retail politics, which means you go into stores, walk down the street.

It's exciting because you're talking to the voters, and it's like a job interview.  They're sizing my husband up.

VAN SUSTEREN:  You know, I could probably guess what your advice to your husband would be if he wins tomorrow night.  What's your advice to your husband if he performs poorly, let's say he comes in fourth.  What's your advice to him?

LIEBERMAN:  Well, honestly, he has said -- I'm really proud of Joe.  He said exactly what he believes in to the people of New Hampshire.  There have been many people who have been so responsive, and I just say keep up the good work, I'm proud of you.  You're a man of integrity and you're a man that the people can trust.

VAN SUSTEREN:  How is this campaign -- I realize it's the nomination campaign -- different from running in 2000 as a vice presidential candidate?

LIEBERMAN:  Well, we had to lay the tracks for the train and decide what the cars would look like.  I mean, that's what we're doing now.  Then, we just joined in the last three months and it ended up being four months unbeknownst to me, but right now it's really literally laying the tracks, you know, the money, and meeting the people.  It's much harder, much, much longer.

VAN SUSTEREN:  All right. Well, thanks for joining us and good luck tomorrow.  We'll be watching.

LIEBERMAN: Thank you very much, Greta.

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