USTIN, Texas - Republicans, caught off guard by the selection of a respected moderate as Vice President Al Gore's running mate, yesterday lavished Senator Joseph I. Lieberman with praise while quietly admitting they would have preferred to compete against someone else.
Aides to Governor George W. Bush had hoped Gore would select a more liberal figure, such as Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, or an unknown, such as Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, whose records and personal histories would have been wide open to attack. Of the five names floated before the announcement was made, only Lieberman's caused concern among Bush officials and Republicans, who said he would be virtually immune to criticism.
And sure enough, as news of Lieberman's selection seeped out yesterday, Republicans could not say enough kind things about the 58-year-old Orthodox Jew long viewed as a voice of morality in the US Senate. Instead, the Bush campaign was left to condemn Gore himself, saying the selection proved he was again reshaping his image for political gain.
''His selection raises an interesting question about Al Gore's commitments, and whether he truly believes some of the things he has attacked George Bush for,'' said Bush communications director Karen Hughes. In particular, she said, Lieberman has supported school-choice vouchers and Social Security privatization - positions more in line with the Bush platform than that of the vice president.
The Lieberman decision appeared to throw a wrench in the Bush strategy of tying Gore to President Clinton, adding to the ticket the Democrat who first criticized Clinton during the Monica S. Lewinsky scandal. Some Republicans said his presence might blunt the impact of Bush's frequent promise to ''restore dignity to the White House''; Scott Reed, the campaign adviser to Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole in 1996, called the pick the ''smartest thing Gore's done since he won the nomination.''
''They're afraid to death of the moral problems and scandals of the last eight years, and they're desperately trying to distance themselves from the president,'' said Ron Kaufman, the Massachusetts committeeman at the Republican National Committee. ''I think he's a good pick for them.''
The only potential upside for the Bush campaign, one Republican said, is that the selection indicates the Bush strategy is working. ''Lieberman is the moral choice,'' one Senate Republican aide said. ''If there's a political risk to it, it could send the message that George Bush is right.''
Governor Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts agreed. ''I suspect this is a response to the success of the Republican convention,'' he told reporters. ''It's pretty clear that Bush and Cheney have the moral high ground here.''
Still, Republicans were hard-pressed to find fault with any facet of Lieberman's political or personal past, and as party officials showered him with compliments it appeared their only hope was to cast him as superior to Gore.
Senate majority leader Trent Lott considers Lieberman ''among our favorite Democrats,'' his spokesman, John Czwartacki, said. Senator John S. McCain, the former rival of Bush, called Lieberman ''a worthy opponent and one who has respect on both sides of the aisle.''
Even Rudolph W. Giuliani, the mayor of New York City, had praise for the Connecticut senator, despite some speculation that his selection might gain Hillary Rodham Clinton support among that city's important Jewish voters in her bid for the US Senate. Giuliani, who withdrew from the race earlier this year, called Lieberman a ''very, very good man, a distinguished public servant.''
The Bush campaign used the occasion to argue that its candidate is above partisan attack. Unlike Gore, who released a campaign advertisement against Cheney when he was chosen as Bush's running mate, Bush officials said they had no plans to pursue Lieberman in a negative way. Hughes, the communications director, said Bush would treat the Connecticut senator ''with respect ... and I think the American people will notice the contrast.''
Yet there was a detectable air of disappointment among some Bush supporters. With both sides fighting for moderate Democrats and independents, the selection will make it more difficult for Bush to cast Gore as a solid liberal, several Republicans said.
''From a partisan standpoint, I'm disappointed,'' said Representative Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican who has known Lieberman for 24 years. ''From a partisan standpoint, I would have liked Senator Wellstone from Minnesota, and frankly, I think we would have done very well if it had been Senator Kerry from Massachusetts. The bottom line is, they chose the best candidate they could choose.''
