Lieberman keeps government reform panel chairmanship

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., will remain chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senate Democrats decided on Tuesday in a vote they attributed to a spirit of reconciliation promoted by President-elect Obama.

"This was not a time for retribution," Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after the closed-door Democratic Caucus meeting. "We're moving forward."

In lieu of stripping Lieberman's committee chairmanship, the senators voted 42-13 in a secret ballot to take his seat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, which includes revoking his chairmanship of the global warming subcommittee. The result amounts to a far milder punishment than many members and aides expected in September, after Lieberman spoke in favor of the presidential bid of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the Republican National Convention. For many Democrats, Lieberman crossed a line by attacking Obama.

Reid on Tuesday told the Caucus that Obama, who has said he holds no grudges against Lieberman, urged a compromise that kept the Connecticut senator in the party, senators said. Lieberman and several colleagues said Obama's comments helped him keep his gavel.

"Obama deserves the credit," said Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.

Several senators said Lieberman told colleagues at the meeting that he regretted some of his statements about Obama. McCaskill said Lieberman offered a heartfelt description of his record and his decisions since losing in Connecticut's Democratic primary in 2006.

The vote represents an embrace of pragmatism over punishment. With three races up in the air, Senate Democrats will hold 56 to 59 seats in the 111th Congress. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also caucuses with the Democrats. With the chance to win moderate Republican backing on key issues, Democrats need Lieberman to enact ambitious legislative goals eyed by the incoming administration. Lieberman had said he would bolt the Caucus if he lost his gavel, which would have brought his votes into question, particularly on procedural motions.

"It doesn't matter if we have 57 or 59," said Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del. "We're gonna need his vote."

That is likely a key reason Reid and Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., supported Tuesday's resolution, which was offered by Senate Banking Chairman Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo. Vermont Sens. Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders had urged he lose his chairmanship. Sanders said he voted against the resolution, saying it represents a "disappointment" for those who worked to get Obama elected.

The resolution listed a combination of actions Lieberman has done for Democrats and actions he took that offended Democrats. It said his vote was essential for Democrats to hold the majority in Congress. But it said that "the Caucus rejects and disapproves of Senator Lieberman's statements against Senator Obama in the 2008 presidential campaign."

It also said the Caucus "concurs that Senator Lieberman will continue as a member of the Democratic Caucus." The caucus "wishes to move forward in a spirit of reconciliation in an effort to unite America and to end the extreme partisan environment created by President [Bush]," the measure added.

Many senators said they were swayed by Obama's call not to punish Lieberman harshly, and for a show of unity. Lieberman said after the meeting that today's resolution represents "reconciliation and not retribution." Lieberman's survival as chairman may pose risks for Democrats in the next Congress. As chairman, Lieberman can push to investigate nearly any facet of government operations. Through nominations and legislation, he can exert sway over the Homeland Security Department and its policies, an area where his views are likely to put him at odds with Obama and Senate Democrats. Though senators said Lieberman had pledged to vote with Democrats "nine out of 10 times," it was not clear if he said anything about the direction of his committee.

Darren Goode contributed to this report.