Sen. Lisa Murkowski (RINO-Alaska) to be stripped of Seniority by GOP Senators (Updated)

In the wake of her decision to ignore Republican primary voters and run in the general election as a write-in candidate, Sen. Lisa Murkowski will have her seniority position on the Senate Energy Committee stripped by her GOP colleagues. I guess tarring, feathering and riding her out of town on a rail wasn't a serious option.

CNN's Political Ticker reported:

Senate Republicans just said they will move tomorrow to strip Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, from her post as ranking Republican on the Senate Energy Committee.

Republicans say Wednesday they will vote to elect an acting ranking member and then the full GOP conference will ratify the vote…

Another Republican came out of the Senate GOP lunch and told CNN it was clear Murkowski has virtually no support among her colleagues anymore. That senator spoke on condition of anonymity, in order to speak freely about a private meeting.

Update: GOP Senators decide to not strip Murkowski. She resigns from leadership position.

Senate Democrats Refuse To Give Specter Seniority

In a blow to Arlen Specter's chances to get re-elected in 2010, Democrats stripped him of his seniority on several key committees. This contradicts Specter's assertion last Tuesday when he told reporters that he would retain his seniority both in the overall chamber and in the committees on which he serves. Arlen Specter should have known you can't trust the current democratic leadership in Congress. Of course, the voters of Pennsylvania couldn't trust Arlen Specter either. The Washington Post is reporting:

The Senate dealt a blow tonight to Sen. Arlen Specter's hold on seniority in several key committees, a week after the Pennsylvanian's party switch placed Democrats on the precipice of a 60-seat majority.

In a unanimous voice vote, the Senate approved a resolution that added Specter to the Democratic side of the dais on the five committees on which he serves, an expected move that gives Democrats larger margins on key panels such as Judiciary and Appropriations.

But Democrats placed Specter in one of the two most junior slots on each of the five committees for the remainder of this Congress, which goes through December 2010. Democrats have suggested that they will consider revisiting Specter's seniority claim at the committee level only after the midterm elections next year.