The upside to Steve Westly’s loss in the Democratic gubernatorial primary for political strategist Garry South is that he’s been able to spend more time with his 2-month-old son.

But South hasn’t checked out completely. Besides skewering Angelides’ campaign on blogs, he’s been dishing out free advice to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn.

South was Lieberman’s political adviser during his unsuccessful 2004 presidential bid. Now Lieberman faces a tough challenge from Ned Lamont in Connecticut’s Tuesday primary.

Lamont has won support from Democrats who oppose Lieberman’s backing of the war in Iraq.

“(Lieberman) and I e-mail back and forth quite a bit,” South said. “He’s got a fair shot in the primary. If not the primary, then he probably wins in the fall as an independent.”

Lamont led by 13 points in a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. If Lieberman runs as an independent, would South work for him in the fall?

“I doubt it,” South said. “I’m not really in the campaign business at the moment. I’m in the daddy business.”