Joe Lieberman

Senate photo

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Bothell) held on to her position as Democratic conference secretary when the Senate Democrats met in Washington, D.C. today, McClatchy’s Les Blumenthal reports.

Conference secretary, the post Murray was first elected to in 2006, is considered the fourth highest position in Democratic leadership.

There was speculation earlier this fall that Murray might ascend to the chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee if Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) was stripped of his chairmanship by the Democrats for his outspoken support of 2008 Republican presidential nominee John McCain, but they decided today to allow Lieberman to keep his seat.

U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) sees the writing on the wall and is already trying to mend fences with Democrats after going off the Democratic reservation and supporting U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign.

It's not yet clear what kind of revenge (if any) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will exact on Lieberman after Democrats expand their Senate margin and no longer need him for a majority, but there are potential consequences for one of the state's senators.

Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson at the Republican National Convention: Getty Images PhotoMINNEAPOLIS - The Republican National Convention looked a lot more like a convention last night as former Senator Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) spoke to large crowds of delegates, media and guests at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn. Thompson in particular fired up Republicans with a speech that emphasized John McCain's biography and went after Barack Obama, calling him the most liberal and inexperienced candidate in history.

"It was fun from my perspective to experience what we thought our convention would really be like last night," said state party chair Luke Esser, who enjoyed Thompson's red meat and Liberman's perspective on bi-partisanship.

"I thought he totally energized everyone," Republican National Committee Member Freddi Simpson of Wenatchee said of Thompson. "I think his comments were appropriate, they were dynamic. I really came back excited."