Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd.

(CNN) — Sen. Robert Byrd, D-West Virginia, will remain in the hospital for several days, according to a statement from his Senate office.

“At the recommendation of his physicians, Senator Robert C. Byrd will remain in the hospital for several more days for monitoring and antibiotic treatment for a mild infection," said the statement.

“Byrd is alert, talking with staff and in good spirits and looks forward to getting back to work as soon as possible.”

Byrd was hospitalized Monday night after the 90-year-old Democrat from West Virginia appeared lethargic when he arrived at his Senate office in preparation for a vote on global warming, the spokesman said.

Sen. Byrd endorsed Obama's presidential bid Monday.

(CNN) — Sen. Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in American history, announced Monday he is endorsing Barack Obama's White House bid.

Byrd, 90, has served as West Virginia's senator for nearly fifty years, and is one of the chamber's most vocal critics on the war in Iraq.

"After a great deal of thought, consideration and prayer over the situation in Iraq, I have decided that, as a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, I will cast my vote for Senator Barack Obama for President," Byrd said in a statement released by his office. "Both Senators Clinton and Obama are extraordinary individuals, whose integrity, honor, love for this country and strong belief in our Constitution I deeply respect."

"I believe that Barack Obama is a shining young statesman, who possesses the personal temperament and courage necessary to extricate our country from this costly misadventure in Iraq, and to lead our nation at this challenging time in history," Byrd also said. "Barack Obama is a noble-hearted patriot and humble Christian, and he has my full faith and support."

The endorsement is not without symbolism. Byrd was a leader of the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan as a young man and was, along with several southern Democrats, an opponent of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. He has since denounced his previous views on racial segregation.

West Virginia's other senator, Jay Rockefeller, endorsed Obama earlier this year. Hillary Clinton carried the state by 41 points last week.

Sen. Robert Byrd is chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Senior Democratic senators privately considered Tuesday Sen. Robert Byrd's capacity to handle his spot at the top of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, but the 90-year-old lawmaker won't be stepping down from the demanding job, his office told CNN.

Roll Call first reported the discussions by several Democratic senators, and a Democratic aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to CNN the thrust of the newspaper report.

"There are some who have concerns," the aide said. "Ahead of the appropriations season, some people have concerns which leaked out of a meeting."

But the West Virginia senator's spokesman, Jesse Jacobs, rejected talk of replacing Byrd as chairman of the committee.

"Once again, it appears that Washington insiders are practicing what they do best — petty rumor mongering," Jacobs said in a statement.

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Sen. Byrd returned to the Senate Thursday.

(CNN) – Sen. Robert Byrd made a surprise visit back to the Senate Thursday, a month after the 90-year-old Democrat fell in his West Virginia home.

Byrd was greeted warmly by many of his Senate colleagues and used a wheelchair and a walker to move around.

Byrd is Senate president pro tempore, a position that makes him third in line for the presidency, behind Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. Robert Byrd, the Senate's longest-serving member, was admitted to Washington's Walter Reed Army Medical Center for observation Tuesday after a fall at his home Monday night, his spokesman said.

The 90-year-old West Virginia Democrat complained about pain after going to work Tuesday, and doctors are looking for signs of broken bones or other injuries, Byrd spokesman Jesse Jacobs said.

Byrd cast a vote on the Senate floor and was back in his office working when aides recommended he see the Capitol physician, Jacobs said.

He is the Senate's longest-serving member, first elected in 1958. Though he walks with the aid of two canes, he still speaks vigorously on the Senate floor.

As the senior senator in the majority party, he also serves as the chamber's president pro tempore — third in line in presidential succession, behind Vice President Dick Cheney and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

His hospitalization came the same day that another of the Senate's senior members, Virginia Republican John Warner, returned to a Fairfax, Virginia hospital for observation after a recurrence of a heart condition first diagnosed in October. Warner's office said the 81-year-old senator's condition, known as atrial fibrillation, is common and doctors would monitor his heart and adjust his medication during his stay.

–CNN Congressional Producer Ted Barrett

Watch Byrd’s speech Thursday.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — Fallout intensified Friday from NFL star Michael Vick's indictment on charges linked to dogfighting, a practice that a longtime U.S. lawmaker denounced as "barbaric" on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia, who has addressed lawmakers often about his love for animals, shook with emotion during a forceful condemnation of dogfighting.

"Barbaric," shouted the senator. "Let that word resound from hill to hill and from mountain to mountain and from valley to valley across this broad land. Barbaric!"

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