WASHINGTON?Senators and staff returned Tuesday to an office building shut for three months by anthrax contamination. “I go in with confidence and a prayer,” said Sen. Joseph Lieberman.

That mix of caution and optimism was typical for the politicians and employees reclaiming the nine-story Hart building, home to offices of half of the 100 senators.

“I feel completely safe,” Sen. Majority Leader Tom Daschle, whose Hart office received the anthrax-laden letter that spurred the building’s shutdown Oct. 17, said after re-entering the building Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters after visiting staff in his new, temporary office, Daschle said: “It’s good to be back. It’s good to be confident that we can return to normalcy.”

Daschle, D-S.D., won’t be able to return to his real office until the carpeting and furniture are replaced, which is expected to take until mid March.