At this writing the rumor is

that Joe Lieberman will hang onto his committee chairmanship under the democratic senate majority, regardless of his occasionally ugly apostasy on behalf of GOP nominee John McCain.
I don't really think that Lieberman should be ejected from the caucus, but handing the homeland security committee over to someone else does seem like a reasonably proportional response.
If Lieberman switches parties he'll still end up sans his chairmanship and likely lose his seat in 2012 so what's the problem?
If it's one thing I've learned in forty six years is that Senate democrats are renowned for their powers of forgiveness.
Sometimes the forgiveness can be a little hasty and undeserved though...not for nothing though but the man was almost nominated for VP by the GOP that alone should give Harry Reid pause regardless of all the smack Joe talked on the campaign trail.