Republican Have "Exploited Ruthlessly" Their Advantage on National Security

Political reporter Adam Nagourney, always hypersensitive to any sign of "harsh" rhetoric among Republicans, twitches in his front-page story Wednesday on Ned Lamont's victory over Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Democratic primary race in Connecticut.



"At the same time, Republicans are ready to pounce on what they hoped could be a political opening presented by Mr. Lamont's rising star, during what has been a difficult political season for them. They said this could become a crystallizing moment: an opportunity to frame the primary results in a way that has historically worked for them and that they have exploited ruthlessly, by presenting Republicans as better able to protect Americans in a dangerous world."