Hawaii's U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye says he would not take over the Senate's most powerful committee by shoving aside Appropriations Chairman Robert Byrd.

If Obama Elected; Hawaii Politicians Could Move Up In Office

 

Some Washington insiders say Inouye may move to top of U.S. Senate.

 

[ Watch ]

 

 

 

 

Inouye, 84, is next in seniority on the Appropriations Committee, which drafts the Senate version of the federal budget.

Democratic Senate leaders have been discussing committee assignments for the upcoming congressional session next year, and Inouye told Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Democratic leader, that he would like the post.

“;I said, 'Yes, someday I would like to be chairman of the Appropriations Committee, but not at the expense of having someone arbitrarily told to step aside,'”; Inouye said in an informal meeting with reporters yesterday in Honolulu.

Inouye said he is “;certain Sen. Byrd is thinking about it,”; but added public discussion of it would force senators to say they wanted Byrd, 90, to remain.

Byrd criticized Reid this week over a news report that Reid was planning to remove Byrd from the chairmanship.

Inouye said he would want any Senate transition to include consensus by all parties.

“;If I am going to be chairman of that committee, I hope they will let me do it in the regular form,”; Inouye said.

He added that if someone could push out Byrd, “;someday someone might say Dan is getting too old”; and remove him from leadership.

Leadership of the Appropriations Committee is considered one of the most powerful positions in Congress, and Inouye acknowledged that if he is named chairman, “;Hawaii would look a little bigger on the map.”;

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, senior member of the House delegation, said Inouye's ascension would put Hawaii in a remarkable position if Hawaii-born Barack Obama is also elected president next week.

“;It would be an incredible story. Anything legislatively that a President Obama would want to do would have to pass through the Appropriations Committee,”; Abercrombie said yesterday.

“;Think of it, a Japanese-American Congressional Medal of Honor winner and this young man born just after statehood, a minority-American, would be assuming the centerpiece of legislative and executive authority in the United States,”; Abercrombie said.

Turning his attention to the current race for president, Inouye was critical of the campaign being waged by Republican Sen. John McCain, calling it embarrassing and disappointing.

“;To suggest that he (Obama) is a socialist, that he is a friend of communists, that his name is Hussein and therefore he must be for Osama, that is nonsense.

“;It embarrasses me and it disappoints me,”; Inouye said.