Sen. Orrin Hatch as ‘The Big O’

In his presence, esteemed fifth-term Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is always called “Senator.” But behind his back, watch out.

Aides to Hatch have a few nicknames for him that they wouldn’t dare use in front of him.

“To his face it’s ‘Senator’ or ‘Sir,’ but when he’s not around it’s The Big O,” a Hatch staffer told The Hill.

The nickname is a harmless spin-off of Hatch’s first name and not any connection to the phrase’s innuendo, the staffer explained.

Hatch also recently has earned the moniker O-Dawg, after his efforts to release R&B producer Dallas Austin from jail. Austin was arrested May 19 and convicted of possessing cocaine in the United Arab Emirates, and Hatch’s efforts generated some criticism among Utahans since both men have the same attorney who specializes in entertainment law.

John Scheble, chief of staff to Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.), took a memorable step last week by urging his 16-year-old son, Nathan, to have Nernie Mason, a barber in the Rayburn barbershop, cut his hair.

Scheble, who has been working on the Hill for 32 years, has been going to Mason to have his locks snipped for 20 years. Nathan recently finished his service as a congressional page.

But the story strikes deeper chords. When Nathan was 1, he had his first haircut in the Rayburn salon by none other than Mason.

Why has Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) been wearing a boot on his foot for the past month?

“He has a stress fracture on the top of his foot,” said Kurt Heath, his new press secretary, who began his job in May.

For those who would like a better explanation for the injury, Heath said he believes it’s “something that can just sort of happen through various activities but it may not necessarily be one thing.”

Possible activities that could have caused Weldon’s stress fracture include racquetball, as well as general chores around the house.

“One thing that might have aggravated it was he might have picked up something heavy at one point,” Heath explained, referring to the chores. “He was … lifting various heavy things and began to notice after days that it started to hurt and it kept on hurting.”

Being the wise internist that Weldon is, he made an appointment with a doctor and learned he had a stress fracture.

“He’s smarter than the average doctor,” Heath assured when told that doctors typically aren’t the best patients.

Weldon is scheduled to have his boot removed next week. Hopefully this will make jaunts around his Melbourne, Fla. district easier through August.

Famed cyclist testifies at Sen. Harkin’s field hearing

Last Friday, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) hosted a field hearing on funding for cancer research in Iowa City, Iowa, and guess who showed up? It was cycling star and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong.

A decade ago, Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer that later spread throughout his body. His heroic and heart-wrenching story fit well with Harkin’s hearing, titled “Winning the Race Against Cancer.”

Harkin’s dedication to the issue stems from the fact that there have been significant cuts made to cancer research funding despite the fact that President Bush declared five years ago that he would make it a national priority. It’s also personal: the senator lost two brothers and two sisters to cancer.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who is a survivor of prostate cancer, was an honorary co-chairman of the hearing. Approximately 600 people attended the event, held on the campus of the University of Iowa.

When Armstrong testified, he recounted his battle with cancer, stressed the need to increase research funding and urged the audience to hold elected officials accountable at the ballot box in November.

Armstrong’s presence in Iowa was twofold. He was there to testify at the hearing and to participate in the state’s famed RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa), named for the state capital’s newspaper, The Des Moines Register.

Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) was spotted dining at Sonoma on Pennsylvania Avenue on Saturday night.

“Sherman walked in with a woman and got a table,” an ITK spy reported. “She was a little shorter than him, [with] shoulder-length, wavy dark hair. He had a big grin on his face.”

Sherman was more casual than usual and wore no tie.

“Wouldn’t be unusual for a Saturday night,” remarked Andrew Wright, Sherman’s chief of staff, of his boss’s attire.