WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) – U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman seized on the terror arrests in Britain Thursday during his first campaign appearance since launching his independent bid for re-election, accusing Democratic rival Ned Lamont of not fully understanding the danger facing the nation.

Lieberman also reiterated his disgust for political partisanship when it comes to national security, saying it’s “un-American” in his opinion.

“We are at war with a brutal enemy,” Lieberman said during a campaign stop at a Waterbury pizza joint Thursday. “How the heck can we be in a battle in which we are fighting as Democrats and Republicans against each other when these terrorists certainly don’t distinguish based on party affiliation? They want to kill any and all of us.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t have healthy disagreement and discussions about national security, but to make it into a partisan political football is just unacceptable and in my opinion un-American,” he said.

Lieberman lost by 10,000 votes in Connecticut’s Democratic primary on Tuesday to millionaire businessman Ned Lamont, who ran on an anti-war platform. Although top state and national Democrats support Lamont in November’s general election, Lieberman on Wednesday filed petitions to run as an independent candidate.

British authorities on Thursday arrested 24 people and said they thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up several aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in hand luggage.

Word of the plot instantly raised security levels at airports across the country.

“I’m worried that too many people, both in politics and out, don’t appreciate the seriousness of the threat to American security and the evil of the enemy that faces us – more evil or as evil as Nazism and probably more dangerous that the Soviet Communists we fought during the long Cold War,” Lieberman said.

“I want to make sure that I satisfy my responsibilities and use my seniority in the Senate to make the future of the families of Connecticut safer than it would otherwise be. I don’t think that Ned Lamont gets that and that’s a serious difference between us.”

In a statement, Lamont said that said the U.S. needs to “strengthen its national security and improve its ability to fight terrorism.” He said both have suffered under President Bush.

“Our force readiness to face another threat elsewhere in the world has been diminished because of our preoccupation with Iraq. Both anger at America around the world and the number of terrorists seeking to do us harm have increased,” Lamont said. “We are not stronger and safer because of Iraq; just the opposite is unfortunately true.”

Lamont said the U.S. needs to focus on apprehending Osama Bin Laden and other terrorist leaders and building “a credible, effective foreign policy with our allies.”

“We need to change course, and that means standing up to this administration and fighting for our security in a rational, serious way rather than being bogged down in war that is harmful to our security,” he said.

But Lieberman said Lamont’s plan to withdraw troops from Iraq will only embolden the terrorists and put the U.S. at risk.

“If we just pick up like Ned Lamont wants us to do, get out by a date certain, it will be taken as a tremendous victory by the same people who wanted to blow up these planes in this plot hatched in England. It will strengthen them and they will strike again.”

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AP Political Writer Susan Haigh has been covering Connecticut statehouse and political scene since 1994.

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