Comment Central: what are your hopes for Obama? | The Child returned - and final battle was joined

Barack Obama’s victory in last week's presidential election has sent a gust of change blasting through the Senate, leaving this most stable and august legislative body in a state of unprecedented upheaval.

Robert Byrd, the longest-serving Senator in history, who began his career as a leader of the Ku Klux Klan, has announced his resignation as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee on which he has served for 50 years.

“A new day has dawned in Washington and that is a good a thing,” said Mr Byrd, 90, who endorsed Mr Obama for the presidency. “I have learned that nothing is so permanent as change. It is simply part of living and should not be feared.” The West Virginia Democrat had become increasingly frail in recent months and colleagues were preparing to force him out if he had not voluntarily given up the gavel of a committee which controls spending of more than $1 trillion a year.

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Last week’s elections will almost certainly leave the Democrats just short of the 60 seats they needed to override delaying tactics called filibusters and have complete control over the Senate.

Their exact majority is still unknown. A recount is underway in Minnesota, where former comedian Al Franken trails Republican incumbent Norm Coleman by just 236 votes out of 2.9 million cast.

Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in Senate history who turns 85 next week, is clinging to a margin of less than 4,000 votes over Democrat Mark Begich in Alaska. But even if he wins, Stevens is set to be expelled following his conviction on corruption charges. Sarah Palin, who as Governor would have to call a special election to replace him, may stand herself.

In Georgia, Saxby Chambliss faces a run-off second ballot next month after failing to secure the 50 per cent he needed to see off a Democratic challenge from Jim Martin. The fresh vote will present an early dilemma for Mr Obama, who will be under pressure to campaign for Mr Martin at a time when he is seeking to build bi-partisan consensus with Republicans on Capitol Hill.

Mr Obama will also be watching closely to see what happens to Joe Lieberman, the independent Democrat who backed John McCain for the presidency and may now be stripped of the Homeland Security chairmanship by colleagues seeking revenge.

Mr McCain himself must return to the Senate, where he will join Hillary Clinton among the ranks of those that Mr Obama vanquished on his way to victory. The Republican has promised to co-operate with the new president, a signal that he is seeking to restore some of the lustre to a reputation for independence that was tarnished during an often vituperative election campaign.

Replacements will have to be nominated for the Senate seats vacated by Mr Obama in Illinois and his vice-president Joe Biden in Delaware. There will also be jockeying to fill Mr Biden’s post as chairman of the foreign affairs committee, with John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, among the top contenders.

Mr Kerry, however, is being mentioned as a possible Secretary of State in Mr Obama’s Administration, which would create yet another vacancy in Massachusetts where the other Senate seat is occupied by Ted Kennedy, who is seriously ill with a brain tumour.

Over at the House of Representatives, 82-year-old John Dingell, who has resisted tougher fuel economy and anti-pollution standards for the motor manufacturing industry, is being challenged for control of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Fellow Democrat Henry Waxman is pitching himself as better-placed to enact Mr Obama’s ambitious agenda on the environment.

But in the Senate at least the Congressional tradition, whereby chairmanships are allocated on the seniority principle, should remain intact. Mr Byrd is expected to be succeeded by Daniel Inouye, who is a comparatively youthful 84.

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