LOS ANGELES (FinalCall.com)�As Democratic Party officials tried desperately to enthuse its base for the Gore-Liberman ticket, Senator Joseph Lieberman, the vice presidential nominee, expressed a desire to meet with the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, perhaps recognizing the media brouhaha made over remarks the Minister made during a press conference were not all the media made them out to be.

Or perhaps Sen. Lieberman considered significant influence the Black leader has in America and the fact that the upcoming Million Family March has as a support base a National Agenda of programmatic recommendations for political office holders to respond to.

For whatever reasons Mr. Lieberman expressed his desires to USA Today, there were many at the Democratic National Convention seconding Mr. Lieberman�s offering.

Among them were an overwhelming number, if not all, members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

"Absolutely," Rep. Meeks while on the convention floor told The Final Call about Mr. Lieberman�s offer for a meeting. "They should sit down and talk. Min Farrakhan has some questions, and those questions are legitimate questions. The Congressional Black Caucus had questions and we sat down and we met with the Senator, and he answered our questions to our satisfaction. We should try to bring people together. That�s what the Democratic Party should be all about�people coming together."

"I understand how those who seek to try to divide the Minister from the mainstream of the Black community will always misinterpret what he says," Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.) said in an interview. Rep. Hilliard, and other influential Democrats who spoke on condition of anonymity, decried the anti-Farrakhan hysteria created by those who fear the impact that the Million Family March, coming on Oct. 16, just three weeks before Election Day, could have on the voting.

"I think it�s a good thing, it shows the progressive points of views that Lieberman has. It should be a very, very meaningful meeting and I look forward with excitement to the potential and the possibilities of that meeting," said Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.)

Rep. Rush also said he intends to be "an active participant" in the Million Family March because "it�s very, very important to bring forth the family as the centerpiece of what we do. It�s important to state as one of our top priorities that the centerpiece for our movement is the Black family and our family concerns."

CBC Chair James Clyburn (D-S.C.) weighed in on the discussion during a press conference for members of the Black Press held by more than a dozen CBC members on Aug. 17, the final day of the convention. Rep. Clyburn said he had met with Nation of Islam Chief of Staff Leonard F. Muhammad on Aug. 14 to discuss Min. Farrakhan�s comments and positions.

"I want you to know that he explained to me the content and the context in which (the comments) were made, and he assured me that was not meant in any way to do anything except to help clear the air," Mr. Clyburn said in response to a question from The Final Call.

"Nobody knows better than us," he insisted, his voice rising, "that when you take one sentence out of a statement, and leave the rest of it there, it makes it look like something different. I don�t want any aspect of the Black community off-page on this.

"As Chair of this Caucus, I met with him, and I am satisfied that there is no difference of opinion between us and Minister Farrakhan and his followers!" Rep. Clyburn said.