CNN: According to Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter, the president-elect doesn't “hold any grudges” against Lieberman and thinks the Connecticut lawmaker should remain a part of the Democratic caucus.
"We aren't going to referee decisions about who should or should not be a committee chair,” Cutter said. “President-elect Obama looks forward to working with anyone to move the country forward. We'd be happy to have Sen. Lieberman caucus with the Democrats. We don't hold any grudges."
Besides, Lieberman may be needed:
Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, Majority Whip of the U.S. Senate and one of President-elect Barack Obama's best supporters, was asked today what fellow Democrats should do with that renegate Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, the independent who caucuses with the Democrats but campaigned hard for Republican John McCain.
"Here's the reality,'' Durbin said in an interview today. "The reality is that, at this moment, there are 57 Democratic senators. There are three races still in question--Georgia, Alaska and in Minnesota. And one may require a run-off in December.
"So at the end of the day, we may not have the 60 votes we need to enact measures in the Senate, and we will have to build on what we have. So every vote is important. That's the starting point,'' Durbin said.
