"Shut Up!"

That's what U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., said to a reporter Thursday who had "asked him what he had to say to colleagues and staff aides whispering that maybe he's not up to chairing the powerful Appropriations Committee," The Associated Press reports.

Byrd "made his remarks after chairing a two-hour hearing on the administration's Iraq war funding request, a session that the media and some of Byrd's colleagues viewed as a key test for the chairman," the article said. "Byrd performed steadily Wednesday, even though he relied on prepared statements when opening the hearing and asking questions of administration witness Jim Nussle, head of the White House budget office. But Sens. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and Thad Cochran, R-Miss., did so as well."

The appearance follows reports in Capitol Hill newspapers and elsewhere, and a less-than-flattering portrayal on Saturday Night Live (though the part about moving the Iraqi museum of antiquities to Wheeling was a nice touch).

Others with reports include The Hill, Politico and Roll Call (subscription required). Closer to home, The Register-Herald of Beckley has a story.