Lieberman calls Bush plan 'real problem' for seniors

UNION, N.J. - Joseph Lieberman took a swipe at George W. Bush's claim that he offers ''real plans for real people,'' telling senior citizens Tuesday that Bush's Medicare package is ''a real problem for real seniors.''

Meanwhile, Lieberman's decision to run for the vice presidency and for Senate re-election at the same time prompted criticism from Dick Cheney, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, who said it showed a lack of confidence.

Lieberman aides denied that. Spokeswoman Kiki McLean said, ''He's committed, optimistic, and proud'' of his vice presidential candidacy.

In an address to some 300 senior citizens at the Union Township Senior Center, Lieberman said that with the prices of prescription drugs increasing and the number of baby boomers entering the Medicare system expected to skyrocket, ''that's not just a price crisis in my opinion. It is a prescription for a humanitarian crisis.''

Often referring to his 85-year-old mother, Marcia, Lieberman said he and Vice President Al Gore would protect Medicare, the federal health care program serving 39 million elderly and disabled Americans, by putting its $360 billion surplus in a ''lock box'' so that politicians could not use the money for other purposes.

''The most important adviser that I've had on this issue, the one person who repeatedly will never let me forget how important it is, is my ... mother,'' he said.

In Florida on Monday, Gore distributed ''Medicare at the Crossroads,'' a booklet that included new details on how he would stabilize HMO participation in Medicare so that older Americans choosing managed care over the traditional Medicare fee-for-service plan would have reliable coverage.

The $198 billion Medicare plan of Republican presidential candidate Bush would give states $48 billion to provide prescription drug coverage while he implements a market-based approach on the national level.

Lieberman said Tuesday that Bush's plan would leave millions of seniors ''to fend for themselves'' in trying to find an HMO. ''That's not a real plan. That's a real problem for real seniors,'' he said, mocking a Bush slogan.

Democrats hoped Lieberman's appearance before seniors and later, before union bricklayers in Atlantic City would help solidify the Democratic lead in New Jersey. The state, with 15 electoral votes, favors the Gore-Lieberman ticket, according to recent polls.

He also attended a $500,000 fund-raiser in New Jersey for the Democratic National Committee. He had two others later in New York that were expected to raise $1.5 million. One was at the home of Revlon Chairman Ronald Perelman and his wife, actress Ellen Barkin.

But Lieberman's campaign plane, which was to fly from Teterboro Airport in northern New Jersey to Atlantic City, never got off the ground. A spokeswoman said mechanics decided to ground the plane, ''The Spirit,'' until further notice after finding that an engine was burning oil.

Lieberman and a few staffers took a private jet to Atlantic City while the reporters who travel with him were rerouted by bus to New York to meet up with him later in the evening.

On Monday, Lieberman took a side trip from the vice presidential campaign to his home state of Connecticut, where he is also seeking re-election to the Senate for a third term. That shows a lack of confidence in the national campaign, Cheney said.

''Otherwise he wouldn't be working so hard to hang onto his day job,'' Cheney told a radio interviewer in Traverse City, Mich.

In Connecticut, state law allows the incumbent to compete for both offices at the same time. If Lieberman wins both the Senate and the vice presidency, Republican Gov. John G. Rowland would choose his interim replacement.