Sen. Joe Lieberman was warmly welcomed Tuesday night as a friend, but he is not considered part of the family by delegates at the Xcel Center in St. Paul.

His speech received several standing ovations, most notably for the line, "I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party."

Lieberman himself ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004 but was given a premier spot on the RNC program to support his Republican friend of 30 years. And he did not disappoint the crowd, proclaiming, "John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and to move it forward."

Reaction to his speech was enthusiastically positive. As delegates streamed out of the center, they called it "magnificent," "awesome" and "dynamite." Sen. Pete Domenici of New Mexico was "pleasantly surprised" and said Lieberman's speech was "absolutely incredible. ... It was a tough speech."

Delegate Pat Fink of Fairbanks, Alaska, who herself is a convert to the Republican Party, said it is "wonderful" that Lieberman made an appearance at the GOP convention, praising him for being a "kind and capable" politician.

But asked if Lieberman had been McCain's choice for vice president, she bristled, stating, "I would have been very disappointed and may not have voted for the Republican ticket," hastening to add that she is "excited and energized" by McCain's actual choice of running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Several delegates echoed the sentiments of Ruthie Johnson of Idaho. She is pleased that "Lieberman supports President Bush on the war effort" but is disappointed in Lieberman's stand on social issues such as abortion and gay rights.

Jan Smith, a delegate from Arizona, goes further, saying that she "would not have been a happy camper" if Lieberman had been tapped for the VP spot, pointing out "we have a large group of talented Republicans" who needed a shot first.

Fellow Arizona delegate Darlene Pachard concurred, stating that Lieberman as VP "would not have been a good idea. He's a maverick, but not a Republican maverick!"

"Lieberman would have been the most out-of-the-box choice" for vice president, said David Blacker, representing California. He feared that choice "would not have played well with the conservative base" of the Republican Party, and while he is a good friend of McCain's, the choice "would not be worth the headaches" or division within the party.

There is praise for what Lieberman's appearance Tuesday night means. Smith expresses hope his speech will bring "the interest from independent voters and even some Democrats" to the GOP side.

West Virginian Tom O'Neill hopes Lieberman "appealed to people to cross the aisle" and praised Lieberman for his "shared values on national security" and supporting Bush's position on the need to keep U.S. troops in Iraq.

Just about every delegate who answered the question took the opportunity to heap praise on the candidate McCain did select as his running mate.

Blacker called Palin "a reform agent," while Johnson gushed that Palin is "an excellent choice ... an honorable person who sticks by her convictions and wants to clean things up," pointing to Palin's stance against oil industry corruption.

So, while the delegates in St. Paul gave Lieberman a rousing round of applause, it was tinged with the feeling of he's still not really one of "us."

Mary Welling of Rock Island, Ill., perhaps best summed up the group's feeling with her thought: "To get our conservative base revved up, we need someone who is pro -life" as well as supportive of the war in Iraq, and Lieberman as VP "might have been a disaster for the party."