WASHINGTON — Ski bums would have called it a “powder day” and blown off work.
Not so senators, who strapped on their snow boots, grabbed their parkas and headed off to a Capitol engulfed in a blizzard.
Only two out of 100 weren’t there: Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent and Orthodox Jew who caucuses with Democrats, was in his home state for Hanukkah with his family; and Republican Judd Gregg, who is a skier, was in New Hampshire for a family commitment.
Heavy brown boots were as common as wing tips, particularly for the many senators with homes on Capitol Hill.
“It looks like Vermont out there,” said Sen. Pat Leahy, D-Vt. He walked to the Capitol from his nearby home, as did a host of others.
Voting started at 7:20 a.m. as daylight broke. Senators were offered chauffeured rides in Chevrolet Suburbans if their homes were socked in, but some drove themselves.
