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Democrats held back punishing Sen. Joe Lieberman Thursday for his
vigorous support of John McCain for president, allowing him to keep his
chairmanship for the time being. However Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Lieberman's actions raised "serious concerns" among Senate Democrats after the two met to discuss Lieberman's future overseeing the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Reid said Lieberman would address the caucus in two weeks and that "further steps" would be discussed. Lieberman told reporters that he wants to review his options and also indicated the matter is not settled. Lieberman took no questions and only spoke for two minutes. "Senator Reid and I have just completed what I would describe as a good conversation between two colleagues and friends," Lieberman said. "I want to spend some time in the next few days thinking about what Senator Reid and I have discussed and what my options are at this point. He promised me that he would do the same and we will continue these conversations."Reid issued a statement shortly after Lieberman's news conference. “Today Senator Lieberman and I had the first of what I expect to be several conversations," Reid said in the statement. "No decisions have been made. While I understand that Senator Lieberman has voted with Democrats a majority of the time, his comments and actions have raised serious concerns among many in our caucus. I expect there to be additional discussions in the days to come, and Senator Lieberman and I will speak to our caucus in two weeks to discuss further steps.” Reid has been under pressure from other senators and Democratic interest groups to respond to Lieberman’s actions during the presidential race. Earlier this year, Lieberman infuriated Democrats by coming out publicly for Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.). He further strained relations with his former party by speaking at the Republican National Convention and questioning Barack Obama’s capacity to be president in his prime-time speech there. Lieberman, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2000, officially left the party in 2006 after losing in his primary election. But he won reelection to the Senate that year as an Independent candidate and has continued to caucus with Democrats. While Lieberman is a strong advocate for the war in Iraq, he is still a reliable Democratic vote on most domestic issues. As recently as Tuesday night, Reid had refused to speculate on Lieberman's chairmanship, telling The Hill "that will be worked out after the election." Some think Reid may treat Lieberman lightly because Senate Democrats will likely fall short of winning 60 seats in the next Congress. The party has a 57-40 advantage, with three races outstanding. If Republicans win just one of those races, Reid will need to reach across the aisle to move legislation. Lieberman has also been courted by Republicans, who are eager to pad their reduced ranks. Manu Raju contributed to this article |
