Rep. Dingell Loses Energy Post

Some moderate to conservative Democrats viewed the vote as a rebuke by the caucus's liberal wing. "I cannot believe we did what we just did," said Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (S.D.), incoming chairman of the "Blue Dog" caucus of fiscally conservative Democrats.

Despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's public neutrality, Rangel accused her of tacitly supporting Waxman because her closest allies in the House ran his campaign and she did not intervene to stop his bid.

"Not playing a role is playing a role," Rangel said, suggesting that reporters were "crazy" if they doubted that Pelosi worked behind the scenes for Waxman.

Dingell's defeat was the latest blow to elder statesmen on Capitol Hill. Earlier this month, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), who turned 91 yesterday and is the longest-serving senator in history, stepped down under pressure as chairman of the Appropriations Committee, citing Obama's election as the proper time to yield his power.

"It just signals the change, the sea change that we're facing. And it's a good sea change. It's momentous," Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), chairman of the Senate's environment committee, said upon the news of Waxman's victory.

Dingell has worked on some environmental legislation, helping pass the Clean Air Act of 1990 and the raising of fuel-efficiency standards on the auto industry last year. But he has resisted previous efforts to raise fuel-efficiency standards, and environmentalists view him as an impediment to progress.

Pelosi circumvented Dingell last year in creating a temporary global warming committee chaired by Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a close ally.

Younger Democrats saw those intra-party fights about environmental policy as a thing of the past. "This had a lot more to do with where the caucus is going in terms of public policy," said Rep. Jackie Speier (Calif.), elected earlier this year to replace the late Tom Lantos.

Republicans said Democrats veered sharply to the left with Waxman. "This decision sends a troubling signal from a Majority that has promised to govern from the center. They moved away from Chairman Dingell because he is committed to approaching energy and environmental issues in a manner that protects American jobs," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a statement.

Pelosi vowed that "House Democrats will move forward from this vote with unity." But bitter feelings lingered among Dingell supporters. At a Democratic meeting a few hours after the Waxman vote, Rep. Bart Stupak (Mich.), one of Dingell's closest friends, accused Waxman supporters of shutting Dingell allies out of an advisory committee that on Wednesday recommended that the full caucus approve Waxman as chairman.

The vote may cause other senior lawmakers to begin grappling with their own political mortality. Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the 79-year-old chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he had not thought about a challenge to his gavel until a reporter suggested it.

"It's a signal that some of the style of the old guard has now gone out of style," he said.