'A man of devout faith': 8 faith leaders, politicians react to death of Joe Lieberman

5. Former President Barack Obama

Former President Barack Obama, who served alongside Lieberman in the U.S. Senate for four years as a Democrat from Illinois, acknowledged in a post on X Wednesday that he “didn’t always see eye-to-eye” with Lieberman. Lieberman endorsed McCain, Obama’s Republican opponent in the 2008 presidential election, over the former president. 

Obama expressed gratitude for Lieberman’s “extraordinary career in public service, including four decades spent fighting for the people of Connecticut.” He cheered Lieberman’s efforts to “repeal ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’ and [help] us pass the Affordable Care Act,” referring to two of the former president’s top legislative priorities during his first term in office.

“In both cases the politics were difficult, but he stuck to his principles because he knew it was the right thing to do,” Obama recalled. He extended his “deepest condolences to Hadassah and the Lieberman family.”