Those who watched “Meet the Press” on Sunday may have noticed something different about Sen. Tom Coburn. The Oklahoma Republican was rocking a new, clean-cut look.

Coburn recently shaved the signature goatee that he grows each year when the temperature begins to fall. This year, Coburn began sporting the beard in mid-November.

His facial hair proved so popular that it inspired the Twitter handle
@TomCoburnsBeard, which claims to be “the peppered beard that clings to Tom Coburn’s face.”

When asked why his boss shaved his trademark look, Communications Director John Hart joked, “I think he wanted to create the biggest political story of 2011.”

No word on what will happen to the Twitter feed now that the goatee is gone.