Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) "had just two words" to say to a reporter who asked what he had to say to colleagues "whispering that maybe he's not up to chairing" the Appropriations Cmte: "Shut up!"
Byrd, 90, "made his remarks after chairing" a closely watched, 2-hour hearing on Iraq funding, performing "steadily" even though he "relied on prepared statements." Senate Maj. Leader Harry Reid spokesperson Jim Manley: "Senator Reid spoke to several members of the committee after the hearing, all of whom said that he did a commendable job" (Taylor, AP, 4/16). Byrd showed up "on time in a crisp suit," displaying "a broad smile while an aide wheeled him into the room" (Rushing, The Hill, 4/16). "By all accounts, Byrd passed the test of whether he could still handle the task" (Pierce/Billings, Roll Call, 4/17).
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), meanwhile, "grew testy with reporters" after the hearing, saying, "Would you stop? You guys are becoming so macabre. Really, you ought to stop. This is not fair. It really isn't. This poor man is working himself as hard as he can and doing a good job and all you can do is kind of boil the pot a little" (AP, 4/16).
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