A staffer for Sen. Orrin Hatch inadvertently shut down the Senate last week by slipping a letter into a bin inside Majority Leader Harry Reid's office.

And no, the Democrats didn't freak out just because the letter was about abortion and challenged their health care bill.

It turns out former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop personally asked Hatch to deliver the typed letter that was slipped into a handwritten envelope without postage, according to The Hill .

When the postal clerk noticed that the letter hadn't been screened by security, Capitol police sprang into action, shutting down the hallway outside the office and one of the main entrances to the Senate chamber.

Memo to Hatch: No more special deliveries.

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Not fashion but size » The political news outlet POLITICO noted in a recent story that three-piece suits are on the rise on Capitol Hill, and called out Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, for frequently donning the "classic fashion."

Bishop, who years ago introduced "sweater days" at the Utah Legislature when he served as House speaker, told POLITICO's gossip columnist that his wardrobe has less to do with style than ... um ... his shape.

"My love of vests and sweaters is not a fashion statement," Bishop said. "At my size, I need as much clothing to cover my body as possible."

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Bishop spricht Deutsches » German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed a joint session

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of Congress last week, the first time a German leader has done so in a half century. Members of the House and Senate dutifully filed into the chamber and donned headphones to listen to a translation of her speech extolling the bilateral relationship between the United States and Germany.

One member, however, didn't wear the headphones: Bishop.

The Utah Republican served a Mormon mission to Germany and keeps a German-language Book of Mormon on his desk. He listened to the whole speech without any translation help.

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Box Elder write-ins » This has absolutely nothing to do with Washington, but it's interesting to note that the Box Elder County clerk listed all votes on Tuesday night, even for the write-ins that received only a few ballots. Among those write-in candidates who didn't make it:

Mickey Mouse for Corinne City Council or for Corinne city mayor. "Someone Else" for Deweyville Town mayor. Goofy, however, got no votes.

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Bishop finds a new Weber State booster » Weber State University turned 120 years old recently and Bishop talked up the Ogden-based university on the House floor. Through the discussion, he learned something that may be useful next time Weber wants federal help.

"Perhaps one of our greatest acknowledged alumna from Weber State is a member of the House of Representatives today," Bishop proclaimed. "Rep. Lynn Jenkins from Kansas is a graduate of Weber State, which I didn't know until today. Now I know who to hit up for [support] in the future."

Jenkins is a Republican elected to the House in 2008.

Burr and Canham report for The Tribune from the nation's capital. They can be reached at tburr@sltrib.com and mcanham@sltrib.com. For more political tidbits, don't visit our blog because it doesn't exist any more.