Democrats should keep Lieberman, Obama says

President-elect Obama has told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid he’s not interested in seeing Democrats oust Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman from their ranks over his endorsement of Republican John McCain.

Obama told Reid in a phone conversation last week that expelling Lieberman from the Democratic caucus would hurt the message of bipartisanship and unity that he wants for his new administration, a Senate Democratic aide said Tuesday. This aide spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential.

The caucus is the meeting of all Senate Democrats and, at the beginning of each Congress, it chooses the body’s leaders. Lieberman, a longtime Democrat who was reelected as an independent in 2006, has continued to meet with the Democratic caucus.

In the last Congress, his presence was essential to the Democrats’ control of the Senate because he and another independent gave them a 51-49 edge over Republicans. But Democrats expanded their majority last week and no longer need Lieberman to control the chamber, though he still could be crucial in votes to end filibusters.

Obama says he won’t get involved in the fight on Capitol Hill over whether Democrats should take away Lieberman’s chairmanship of a key committee to punish him for backing McCain for president.

“We aren’t going to referee decisions about who should or should not be a committee chair,” Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said in a statement Tuesday. “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.”

Lieberman angered many Democrats by criticizing Obama during the presidential race. Lieberman also spoke at the Republican National Convention and accompanied his close friend McCain on the campaign trail.

Last week, Lieberman pledged to put partisan considerations aside and work with Obama. Lieberman, who was Democrat Al Gore’s running mate in 2000, met with Reid last week to discuss his status.

He was reelected as an independent after losing Connecticut’s Democratic primary but remains a registered Democrat and usually votes with Senate Democrats.

Lieberman also met with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky last week about the possibility of Lieberman’s joining the GOP caucus.