Leahy snaps pics, Bayh takes grief in Obama meeting

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is known for taking photos around Capitol Hill from what he says is his “unique vantage point” (read: closer than most people ever get), and he was at it again on Wednesday when President Barack Obama addressed Senate Democrats at the Newseum.

Leahy had a front-row seat at the Q&A session, and he was spotted snapping photos throughout. One attendee said he resembled a “White House tourist.”

{mosads}But if Leahy wanted to commemorate the occasion, Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) was much less formal, appearing at the event in sneakers. And his fashion choice didn’t go unnoticed by the president.

“Nice sneakers, by the way,” Obama joked when Bayh stood up to ask a question.

The Hoosier didn’t miss a beat. “You’ve got to stay on your feet around here, right?” Bayh replied.

Bayh has been caught wearing sneakers in the Capitol a few times before. He told ITK last fall that a heel injury required him to wear comfy shoes on the Capitol’s miles of marble hallways.