A short while ago, Harry Reid announced on the Senate floor that the newest member of that body, Dr. John Barrasso (R-WY), will be sworn in at 3:15 EST.
Obviously, The good doctor hails from a different political party and a decidedly red state, but mid-session swearings in happen pretty rarely in the Senate, and the procedure, pomp, circumstance, etc. can be interesting to watch.
What are we looking for? Follow me after the flip.
First, we can be sure that the new Senator will be accompanied by his senior colleague from his home state, Mike Enzi. As has been noted elsewhere the two ran against one-another in a primary election for the seat Enzi now holds, so it will be interesting to see how the interact.
Also from Wyoming (nominally. . .) is the usually-absentee President of the Senate: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Will he do the swearing-in himself, or will he leave the job to Robert Byrd (President Pro Tem) or someone else entirely?
Consider this a preemptive open thread for the swearing-in, and be sure to tune in to C-SPAN 2 at the appointed time (again, about 3:15) to give your comments here.
Update [2007-6-25 15:24:47 by andgarden]:watch here.
Update [2007-6-25 15:24:47 by andgarden]:It's Dick!
Update [2007-6-25 15:24:47 by andgarden]: Barrasso stumbles a bit over the oath, but he's now sworn.