Lieberman’s Retirement Is End of ‘Three Amigos’

WASHINGTON — For over a decade, the bipartisan trio of senators traveled the world together, from war-torn Iraq to security conferences in Germany to the remote kingdom of Bhutan. Their hawkish world views often placed them at odds with their respective parties, but together they secured a place at the center of every major foreign policy debate.

Lauren Victoria Burke/Associated Press

From left, Senators John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Joseph I. Lieberman in 2010. They have traveled the world together.

Now the senators — John McCain of Arizona, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a triumvirate of frequent fliers dubbed "the three amigos" by Gen. David H. Petraeus — are breaking up the band, as Mr. Lieberman retires in January.

For Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, the loss of Mr. Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent who is the chairman of the homeland security committee, goes beyond personal deprivation and could profoundly affect their ability to influence foreign policy. Though he frustrated many Democrats with his interventionist ideas, Mr. Lieberman gave Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, both Republicans, a veneer of bipartisanship that lent credibility to their policy goals.

An illustration of life without Mr. Lieberman surfaced recently when Mr. McCain and Mr. Graham, along with a new amiga, Senator Kelly Ayotte, a Republican freshman from New Hampshire, called for a special committee to investigate the deadly attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. The push quickly fell flat, and Mr. McCain, who had harshly criticized Susan E. Rice, the ambassador to the United Nations, over the attack, appeared to retreat over the weekend from his original assertion that Ms. Rice was unqualified to be secretary of state.

"I think she deserves the ability and the opportunity to explain herself and her position," Mr. McCain said on "Fox News Sunday," adding, "She's not the problem."

On Tuesday, Ms. Rice plans to travel to Capitol Hill to meet with Mr. McCain, Mr. Graham and Ms. Ayotte on the Libya issue, according to Congressional and administration officials.

The question is whether the group, whose profile rose after the Sept. 11 attacks, will be able to maintain an influential voice without Mr. Lieberman or will become isolated on an island of partisan poking.

"I think it's becoming increasingly difficult for them to defend their positions," said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate.

Even Mr. Lieberman seemed skeptical of a one-party band. "I think John McCain and Lindsey Graham will always be leaders on foreign policy," he said in an interview. "But their voices would be stronger if they are part of a bipartisan group."

Mr. Lieberman and Mr. McCain became friendly in the late 1980s when they joined the Senate. "I approached John on the floor and said, 'Hey, I'd like to work with you on some things,' " Mr. Lieberman said.

The two were united on issues like the Bosnian war and efforts to stabilize post-Soviet republics. Their travels began with an annual security conference in Munich, and they added other venues. "We felt if you're going to take a position on what is happening in the Balkans or Asia," Mr. Lieberman said of their dozens of trips, "you better go there and meet and talk to people."

When Mr. Graham was elected to the Senate in 2002, he joined the duo, whose militaristic foreign policy views suddenly had deeper resonance. "The 'amigo' dynamic really began to materialize after 9/11," Mr. Graham said in an interview. "Everything changed about American security threats then." (Mr. McCain declined to be interviewed for this article.)

The three men became even more powerful in 2007 as President George W. Bush pursued his "surge" strategy in Iraq. The Republicans had just lost the House and the Senate, in no small part because of the Iraq war, and both parties were highly skeptical of the president's decision to double down on troop levels in Iraq under General Petraeus. Mr. Lieberman's pressure on the Senate floor day after day helped prevent an earlier withdrawal sought by many Democrats.

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