The Hill reports that Democratic leaders are currently discussing Senate committee chairmanships for the next Congress, and that "a major reshuffling" may be in the works.
In line to lose their committees, the paper says, are two prominent senators -- West Virginia's Robert Byrd and Connecticut's Joe Lieberman. Byrd's being discussed because of his advanced age and health problems, but it's political considerations that have Lieberman's name in discussion.
The self-described "independent Democrat" has been a prominent surrogate for John McCain, and has even helped Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., in his hotly contested reelection campaign, which could prove to be the determining factor in whether Democrats are able to capture the 60 Senate seats needed to make up a filibuster-proof majority. The possibility that he would lose his chairmanship for this has come up before, as Salon's Mike Madden previously reported. But the discussion of an actual plan is new.
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