debateWith his career on the line and a potentially humiliating upset looming, U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman came out swinging Thursday night in his first (and maybe only) debate against Ned Lamont, the liberal political newcomer seeking to topple him in an Aug. 8 primary and send a message that the Democratic Party should take a more forceful position against the Bush administration.Reporters from national and regional media swarmed into cramped press rooms of WVIT’s West Hartford studios to monitor the 60-minute televised debate, which was simultaneously broadcast on MSNBC and C-Span. There was a palpable feeling that history was being made. Beyond the compelling personal drama of a newcomer emerging within striking distance of toppling an 18-year incumbent who was once his party’s vice-presidential nominee, the debate also put on displays issues at the core of what partisans on both sides are calling a battle for “the soul of the Democratic Party.”