Reid spokesman says there will be no immediate payback against Lieberman

There will be no immediate payback by Senate Democrats against Sen. Joe Lieberman, who used podium time at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night to tear into Barack Obama at the same time he promoted John McCain for the presidency, an aide to Majority Leader Harry Reid said.

Reid plans to wait until after Election Day to determine a course on Lieberman, a Senate independent who nonetheless caucuses with the Democrats and who chairs the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Reid, D-Nev., watched Lieberman's speech and was "disappointed," Reid spokesman Jon Summers said after speaking with him. Reid was vacationing this week and was not commenting directly, Summers said.

"It appeared as though Senator Lieberman chose to go out of his way to distort Sen. Obama's record of bipartisan achievement," Summers said. "The fact of the matter is Obama has worked with leaders on both sides of the aisle."

Lieberman was courted by Reid and Senate Democrats after he won re-election as an independent in 2006. Lieberman votes with Democrats on most issues, and is key to help Reid maintain the party's narrow 51-49 majority in the Senate.

Explaining why Reid would wait, Summers said when the Senate reconvenes next week, "we still have business to take care of."

"Reid will take another look at it after the election," Summers said.

Democrats are poised to expand their Senate majority by a half-dozen seats at least in November, which could make Lieberman more expendable in the Senate caucus.