BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: With us on the phone now, U.S. senator from the state of New York, Charles Schumer. Can you hear us, Senator?</s>SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER (D), NEW YORK: Yes, I can hear you just fine, thanks.</s>HEMMER: Good morning to you. Your reaction, quickly, to Joseph Lieberman.</s>SCHUMER: Hey, I think it's a great choice. Joe Lieberman is known as the conscience of the Senate. You know, while we certainly, thank God, have prosperity in America, and a lot of that due to the Clinton-Gore team, people wonder, Are we drifting away from our moorings, from our values that have helped make the country great? And I think Joe Lieberman reaffirms those values in a very, very strong way. I think he's a great choice. He's ideologically very similar to Al Gore, a moderate Democrat, and emphasizes the fact that values make a real difference to our party.</s>DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Senator, what about the Jewish factor, that Senator Lieberman will be the first Jew on a major party ticket running for the presidency? Do you take pride in that as a fellow Jew?</s>SCHUMER: Well, of course I take pride in it, but I think that it's going to be much less relevant than people may make it about to be. People in America -- you know, we're in the 21st century. We've come a very long way and people are going to look at who the candidate is, not what their religious or ethnic background is. And that's a great thing about America, God bless.</s>KAGAN: Senator Charles Schumer, thank you for your time this morning.
Sen. Schumer: 'Joe Lieberman Reaffirms Those Values' That Make America Great