Senate's 'sweet 16' call Mikulski No. 1

WASHINGTON - On a mid-November afternoon, the women of the U.S. Senate filed into Sen. Barbara Mikulski's office to celebrate a sweet 16 of sorts.

With two newly elected women this year - Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. -- the total of women senators come January will hit a record-breaking 16.

Ms. Mikulski, D-Md., their dean and the senior woman senator, says she and her colleagues are no longer a rarity, but they still face the challenge of balancing legislation aimed at women with broader issues ranging from national security to the economy.

"When I came . . . we were a bit of a novelty in...