STAMFORD, Conn.--Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) returned to a warm and enthusiastic welcome from his hometown Wednesday, two days after Vice President Al Gore '69 selected him as the first Jewish politician to join a major party's presidential ticket.

"I cannot put into words the pride I feel to be the first Jewish-American candidate for Vice President of the United States," an emotional Lieberman said before a standing room only crowd of over 700 people at the Stamford Italian Center.

Both Gore and Lieberman--who spent Wednesday morning in Gore's hometown of Carthage, Tenn.--emphasized diversity during their speeches, claiming Lieberman's selection would "open the doors to other Americans."

"He didn't just choose a running mate--he chose to make history," Lieberman said, comparing the selection to when John F. Kennedy '40 was elected the first Roman Catholic president.

Gore quoted another Connecticut native, Mark Twain, when explaining why he chose Lieberman, saying, "Do the right thing: It will gratify your friends and astonish your enemies."

"A lot of people here are gratified by this pick, a lot of people out there are astonished by this pick and a lot of people are just plain happy about this pick," the vice president said.

After two former high school classmates introduced him, Lieberman reminisced about his childhood in Stamford and his pride at returning home.

"The first moment I choked up," Lieberman said, was when he saw a copy of the Stamford Advocate, with its front-page headline--"He's Coming Home."