Lieberman plans to take his case to Senate Democratic Steering Committee

Embattled Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., will fight to keep his position as chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, a move that could disrupt the vetting and confirmation process for major appointments in President-elect Obama's administration, sources told CongressDaily Friday. Lieberman will most likely make his case to the Senate Democratic Steering Committee on why he should keep his chairmanship, sources said.

The Steering Committee, in turn, would make recommendations to the full Democratic Caucus, which makes final decisions on chairmanships and plans to meet Nov. 18. Sources acknowledged that Lieberman faces an uphill battle, as he has angered Democrats, who feel he betrayed them by stumping aggressively for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for president.

"I can't imagine him keeping the chair, given the people who are going to be on that [steering] committee," one source said. The head of the steering committee, Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, a Senate source said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Lieberman are talking about the possibility of Lieberman joining the Republican Conference.

Lieberman met privately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Thursday to discuss his fate. Sources disclosed Friday that Reid told Lieberman that he was under pressure to punish him and offered the Connecticut senator another chairmanship, which is believed to be the Small Business Committee. One source said Lieberman is not interested in chairing that panel. Reid's office had no comment Friday when asked about such an offer. After the meeting, Lieberman made a short statement saying he is exploring his options, but did not take questions.

"I want to spend some time in the next few days thinking about what Sen. Reid and I discussed and what my options are at this point, and he promised me he would do the same," Lieberman said.

Meanwhile, concerns are beginning to grow that a prolonged battle over who leads the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee could disrupt Obama's effort to put together his administration. The committee is responsible for confirming many political appointees, and leadership positions in the Homeland Security Department are considered especially important.

"The department is very much a creation of Sen. Lieberman's work on this issue. He's respected certainly by both sides of the aisle and professionals in emergency management," said Richard Cooper, a former Homeland Security Department official who is now a lobbyist. "But it is critical that any leadership issues be solved as quickly as possible so as to not interrupt the vetting and the confirmation process of the department's new leadership. It is critical that that committee's leadership, membership and staff composition is in place. Time is of the essence."

Ben Schneider contributed to this report.