Byrd about to be tossed under the bus.

Aides of Harry Reid would neither confirm nor deny a report Tuesday that the Senate majority leader is going to strip Sen. Robert Byrd of his position as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Democratic sources have said that Reid is quietly plotting to oust 90-year-old Byrd from the chairmanship and dismiss him from the position of president pro tempore — the seat that is third in line to the presidency, according to a report published Tuesday on Politico.com.

"This is not an authorized hit," a Reid aide told FOX News when asked if the report was the Senate majority leader's way of informing Byrd of the change.

The aide did not deny the substance of the charge, but noted the information came from a source on the "periphery."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,444491,00.html