Byrd Throws Flag on Obama White House Move

President Barack Obama has gotten an earful from the longest-serving senator in U.S. history, Politico reports.

Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., wrote the president Wednesday and "complained about Obama’s decision to create White House offices on health reform, urban affairs policy, and energy and climate change," the article said, adding that while "Byrd repeatedly clashed with the Bush administration" over such issues, "it's rare for Byrd to criticize a president in his own party.

Politico also writes that "Byrd is a stern constitutional scholar who has always stood up for the legislative branch in its role in checking the power of the White House. Byrd no longer holds the powerful Appropriations chairmanship, so his criticism does not carry as much weight these days."