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Washington, D. C.
Tuesday, Jan. 7, at 1:15 p.m., and Vice
President Dick Cheney is in a disclosedlocation.
Framed by lush burgundy drapes and dark
marble columns, he stands on his mark in an
ornate Senate chamber room.
One by one, the queue of newly elected
U.S. senators in the 108th Congress enter from a nar-
row, dark hallway to join him for a photo-op.
The official ceremonies for both houses of Congress
took place an hour ago on their respective floors, but
this mock swearing-in ceremony gives each of these 33
senators an opportunity to pose with their families for
a phalanx of news photographers.
While some bring only their wives, Carl Levin,
Michigan's senator since 1978, brings the brood.
is
Some 25 cousins, children, grandchildren and other family mem-
bers crowd behind Carl and his wife, Barbara. Carl's big brother,
Sander, takes a spot nearby.
Sandy has been a U.S. representative from southeast Michigan since
1982, making it the fourth time the two "best buddies" have been
sworn in together. It is a celebration for both.
Their liberal Democratic positions and strong support of Isra0 are
well known and easily found by tuning in to Sunday morning new
programs or visiting their Web sites.
What is lesser known is their background, the way they o,p.erp_revan
what their life "on the Hill" is really like.
The Jewish News recently spent two
days in Washington stepping into the
world of the close-knit brothers who
have served in Congress for more
than two decades and are leaving
their mark on the most powerful leg-
islative body on the planet.
s::
Family Ties
1/24
2003
66
Sandy was the first in the family to
win an election. He was senior class
president at Detroit Central High
School and later became student gov-
ernment president at the University
of Chicago.
Sandy, 9, and Carl, 6, pose rakishly by the
When Sandy ran for Michigan
family Pontiac.
State Senate in 1964, Carl became his
unofficial campaign manager, then
Carl ran for Detroit City Council successfully in 1968.
On the morning of the 2003 swearing-in ceremonies, they remi-
nisce in Carl's office over bagels and coffee.
Slouching on the sofa, Sandy plays storyteller and Carl acts as the
punch-line king. After all these years, their reactions to each other
LEVINS on page 68