Lieberman considers caucusing with Republicans

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is talking to Connecticut independent Sen. Joe Lieberman about the possibility of Lieberman caucusing with the GOP.

Lieberman’s affiliation with Democrats is up in the air. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) angered by Lieberman’s support of Republican John McCain for president, might yank Lieberman’s chairmanship of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Lieberman and Reid met Thursday to discuss Lieberman’s options, including possible committee and subcommittee posts.

A Lieberman aide, who requested anonymity because the ongoing talks are confidential, said Friday that Lieberman and McConnell had spoken in recent days about the possibility of Lieberman joining the GOP conference.

Lieberman was Democrat Al Gore’s vice presidential running mate in 2000. He became an independent after he lost the Democratic Senate primary in Connecticut in 2006. He won the general election as an independent but is still registered as a Democrat.

Although he caucuses with Senate Democrats, Lieberman criticized Barack Obama during the presidential race, spoke at the Republican National Convention, and campaigned with McCain.

During his prime-time address at the convention, Lieberman rapped Obama as an untested candidate beholden to Democratic interest groups.

Since 2006, Democrats have tolerated Lieberman’s political straddling because with him in their caucus, they had a 51-49 Senate majority. With Democrats tightening their hold on the Senate to at least 55 seats in Tuesday’s election, Lieberman no longer plays that role.

Lieberman aligned himself with McCain and President Bush on the war in Iraq but tended to vote with Democrats on most domestic issues.

A day after the election, Lieberman congratulated Obama for his “historic and impressive victory.”

“Now that the election is over, it is time to put partisan considerations aside and come together as a nation to solve the difficult challenges we face and make our blessed land stronger and safer,” Lieberman said in a statement.