The Decency of George W. Bush

By Michael Gerson

Washington Post Op-Ed
Election Day 2008 must have been filled with rueful paradoxes for the sitting president. Iraq -- the issue that dominated George W. Bush's presidency for 5 1/2 bitter, controversial years -- is on the verge of a miraculous peace. And yet this accomplishment did little to revive Bush's political standing -- or to prevent his party from relegating him to a silent role.

The achievement is historic. In 2006, Iraq had descended into a sectarian killing spree that seemed likely to stop only when the supply of victims was exhausted. Showing Truman-like stubbornness, Bush pushed to escalate a war that most Americans -- and some at the Pentagon -- had already mentally abandoned.

The result? A Sunni tribal revolt against their al-Qaeda oppressors, an effective campaign against Shiite militias in Baghdad and Basra, and the flight of jihadists from Iraq to less deadly battlefields. In a more stable atmosphere, Iraq's politicians have made dramatic political progress. Iraqi military and police forces have grown in size and effectiveness and now fully control 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces. And in the month before Election Day, American combat deaths matched the lowest monthly total of the entire war.

For years, critics of the Iraq war asked the mocking question: "What would victory look like?" If progress continues, it might look something like what we've seen.

But Air Force One -- normally seen swooping into battleground states for rallies during presidential elections -- was mainly parked during this campaign. President Bush appeared with John McCain in public a total of three times -- and appeared in McCain's rhetoric as a foil far more often than that.

This seems to be Bush's current fate: Even success brings no praise. And the reasons probably concern Iraq. The absence of stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction in the aftermath of the war was a massive blow. The early conduct of the Iraq occupation was terribly ineffective. Hopes that the war had turned a corner -- repeatedly raised by Iraqis voting with purple fingers and approving a constitution -- were dashed too many times, until many Americans became unwilling to believe anymore.

Initial failures in Iraq acted like a solar eclipse, blocking the light on every other achievement. But those achievements, with the eclipse finally passing, are considerable by the measure of any presidency. Because of the passage of Medicare Part D, nearly 10 million low-income seniors are receiving prescription drugs at little or no cost. No Child Left Behind education reform has helped raise the average reading scores of fourth-graders to their highest level in 15 years, and narrowed the achievement gap between white and African American children. The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief has helped provide treatment for more than 1.7 million people and compassionate care for at least 2.7 million orphans and vulnerable children. And the decision to pursue the surge in Iraq will be studied as a model of presidential leadership.

These achievements, it is true, have limited constituencies to praise them. Many conservatives view Medicare, education reform and foreign assistance as heresies. Many liberals refuse to concede Bush's humanity, much less his achievements.

But that humanity is precisely what I will remember. I have seen President Bush show more loyalty than he has been given, more generosity than he has received. I have seen his buoyancy under the weight of malice and his forgiveness of faithless friends. Again and again, I have seen the natural tug of his pride swiftly overcome by a deeper decency -- a decency that is privately engaging and publicly consequential.

Before the Group of Eight summit in 2005, the White House senior staff overwhelmingly opposed a new initiative to fight malaria in Africa for reasons of cost and ideology -- a measure designed to save hundreds of thousands of lives, mainly of children under 5. In the crucial policy meeting, one person supported it: the president of the United States, shutting off debate with a moral certitude that others have criticized. I saw how this moral framework led him to an immediate identification with the dying African child, the Chinese dissident, the Sudanese former slave, the Burmese women's advocate. It is one reason I will never be cynical about government -- or about President Bush.

For some, this image of Bush is so detached from their own conception that it must be rejected. That is, perhaps, understandable. But it means little to me. Because I have seen the decency of George W. Bush.

The writer was a speechwriter and policy adviser to President Bush from 2000 to 2006. His e-mail address ismichaelgerson@cfr.org.

I'm just saying...

Would the Last Honest Reporter Please Turn On the Lights?

By Orson Scott Card
Editor's note: Orson Scott Card is a Democrat and a newspaper columnist, and in this opinion piece he takes on both while lamenting the current state of journalism.

An open letter to the local daily paper ˜ almost every local daily paper in America:

I remember reading All the President's Men and thinking: That's journalism. You do what it takes to get the truth and you lay it before the public, because the public has a right to know.

This housing crisis didn't come out of nowhere. It was not a vague emanation of the evil Bush administration. It was a direct result of the political decision, back in the late 1990s, to loosen the rules of lending so that home loans would be more accessible to poor people. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were authorized to approve risky loans. What is a risky loan? It's a loan that the recipient is likely not to be able to repay.

The goal of this rule change was to help the poor ˜ which especially would help members of minority groups. But how does it help these people to give them a loan that they can't repay? They get into a house, yes, but when they can't make the payments, they lose the house ˜ along with their credit rating.

They end up worse off than before.

This was completely foreseeable and in fact many people did foresee it. One political party, in Congress and in the executive branch, tried repeatedly to tighten up the rules. The other party blocked every such attempt and tried to loosen them.

Furthermore, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were making political contributions to the very members of Congress who were allowing them to make irresponsible loans. (Though why quasi-federal agencies were allowed to do so baffles me. It's as if the Pentagon were allowed to contribute to the political campaigns of Congressmen who support increasing their budget.)

Isn't there a story here? Doesn't journalism require that you who produce our daily paper tell the truth about who brought us to a position where the only way to keep confidence in our economy was a $700 billion bailout? Aren't you supposed to follow the money and see which politicians were benefiting personally from the deregulation of mortgage lending?

I have no doubt that if these facts had pointed to the Republican Party or to John McCain as the guilty parties, you would be treating it as a vast scandal. 'Housing-gate,' no doubt. Or 'Fannie-gate.'

Instead, it was Senator Christopher Dodd and Congressman Barney Frank, both Democrats, who denied that there were any problems, who refused Bush administration requests to set up a regulatory agency to watch over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and who were still pushing for these agencies to go even further in promoting sub-prime mortgage loans almost up to the minute they failed.

As Thomas Sowell points out in a TownHall.com essay entitled 'Do Facts Matter?' ( http://snipurl.com/457townhall_com] ): ' Alan Greenspan warned them four years ago. So did the Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to the President. So did Bush's Secretary of the Treasury.'

These are facts. This financial crisis was completely preventable. The party that blocked any attempt to prevent it was ... The Democratic Party. The party that tried to prevent it was ... the Republican Party.

Yet when Nancy Pelosi accused the Bush administration and Republican deregulation of causing the crisis, you in the press did not hold her to account for her lie. Instead, you criticized Republicans who took offense at this lie and refused to vote for the bailout!

What? It's not the liar, but the victims of the lie who are to blame?

Now let's follow the money ... right to the presidential candidate who is the number-two recipient of campaign contributions from Fannie Mae.

And after Freddie Raines, the CEO of Fannie Mae who made $90 million while running it into the ground, was fired for his incompetence, one presidential candidate's campaign actually consulted him for advice on housing. If that presidential candidate had been John McCain, you would have called it a major scandal and we would be getting stories in your paper every day about how incompetent and corrupt he was.

But instead, that candidate was Barack Obama, and so you have buried this story, and when the McCain campaign dared to call Raines an 'adviser' to the Obama campaign ˜ because that campaign had sought his advice ˜ you actually let Obama's people get away with accusing McCain of lying, merely because Raines wasn't listed as an official adviser to the Obama campaign.

You would never tolerate such weasely nit-picking from a Republican.

If you who produce our local daily paper actually had any principles, you would be pounding this story, because the prosperity of all Americans was put at risk by the foolish, short-sighted, politically selfish, and possibly corrupt actions of leading Democrats, including Obama.

If you who produce our local daily paper had any personal honor, you would find it unbearable to let the American people believe that somehow Republicans were to blame for this crisis.

There are precedents. Even though President Bush and his administration never said that Iraq sponsored or was linked to 9/11, you could not stand the fact that Americans had that misapprehension ˜ so you pounded us with the fact that there was no such link. (Along the way, you created the false impression that Bush had lied to them and said that there was a connection.)

If you had any principles, then surely right now, when the American people are set to blame President Bush and John McCain for a crisis they tried to prevent, and are actually shifting to approve of Barack Obama because of a crisis he helped cause, you would be laboring at least as hard to correct that false impression.

Your job, as journalists, is to tell the truth. That's what you claim you do, when you accept people's money to buy or subscribe to your paper.

But right now, you are consenting to or actively promoting a big fat lie ˜ that the housing crisis should somehow be blamed on Bush, McCain, and the Republicans. You have trained the American people to blame everything bad ˜ even bad weather ˜ on Bush, and they are responding as you have taught them to.

If you had any personal honor, each reporter and editor would be insisting on telling the truth ˜ even if it hurts the election chances of your favorite candidate.

Because that's what honorable people do. Honest people tell the truth even when they don't like the probable consequences. That's what honesty means . That's how trust is earned.

Barack Obama is just another politician, and not a very wise one. He has revealed his ignorance and naivete time after time ˜ and you have swept it under the rug, treated it as nothing.

Meanwhile, you have participated in the borking of Sarah Palin, reporting savage attacks on her for the pregnancy of her unmarried daughter ˜ while you ignored the story of John Edwards's own adultery for many months.

So I ask you now: Do you have any standards at all? Do you even know what honesty means?

Is getting people to vote for Barack Obama so important that you will throw away everything that journalism is supposed to stand for?

You might want to remember the way the National Organization of Women threw away their integrity by supporting Bill Clinton despite his well-known pattern of sexual exploitation of powerless women. Who listens to NOW anymore? We know they stand for nothing; they have no principles.

That's where you are right now.

It's not too late. You know that if the situation were reversed, and the truth would damage McCain and help Obama, you would be moving heaven and earth to get the true story out there.

If you want to redeem your honor, you will swallow hard and make a list of all the stories you would print if it were McCain who had been getting money from Fannie Mae, McCain whose campaign had consulted with its discredited former CEO, McCain who had voted against tightening its lending practices.

Then you will print them, even though every one of those true stories will point the finger of blame at the reckless Democratic Party, which put our nation's prosperity at risk so they could feel good about helping the poor, and lay a fair share of the blame at Obama's door.

You will also tell the truth about John McCain: that he tried, as a Senator, to do what it took to prevent this crisis. You will tell the truth about President Bush: that his administration tried more than once to get Congress to regulate lending in a responsible way.

This was a Congress-caused crisis, beginning during the Clinton administration, with Democrats leading the way into the crisis and blocking every effort to get out of it in a timely fashion.

If you at our local daily newspaper continue to let Americans believe ˜ and vote as if ˜ President Bush and the Republicans caused the crisis, then you are joining in that lie.

If you do not tell the truth about the Democrats ˜ including Barack Obama ˜ and do so with the same energy you would use if the miscreants were Republicans ˜ then you are not journalists by any standard.

You're just the public relations machine of the Democratic Party, and it's time you were all fired and real journalists brought in, so that we can actually have a news paper in our city.

This article first appeared in The Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Really America, REALLY????

So is this where I act like a Democrat and threaten to move to Canada?

It's okay, I can suck it up like a big girl and deal. Four years will go by really fast, right??? Lord help us. I can't believe I'm saying this, but what I wouldn't give for a Hillary Clinton right about now...

And we're done

The House is officially adjourned until 9:00a.m. on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009. Lord willing, I'll be back on the Hill in a new member office ready to take on the 111th.

Was the 110th Congress successful? That remains to be seen and depends on who you ask.

I've got to tell you, though, it's been an exciting couple of months on the Hill.

The Bailout: Round Two

The House is voting on the Motion to Concur in Senate Amendments. So basically the bailout. Let's see what the House does...

There needs to be 218 votes - a simple majority - for the bill to pass. We're thinking that the bill would pass for two main reasons. One, no way in hell would leadership bring the bailout bill back for a vote unless they had enough support. Two, the way Nancy Pelosi looked today. On Monday, she looked tired, haggard, and unkempt - a sign of defeat. Today she came to the floor to speak and her appearance was way different. She was put together, energetic, and enthusiastic. She must know something.

*******UPDATE*******

The House passed the bailout bill 263 to 171. Leadership got what they wanted. Time will tell if this will help us out or not. All I know is that $700 billion is a lot of money...

Members on the floor watching the vote.

Acting Speaker Ellen Tauscher (CA-D) strikes the gavel to close the vote.

Final vote: YEA 263, NAY 171

No shame

This is a picture of the Code Pink Ladies staging a "die-in" in Sen. Obama's office. I tell you what, these "ladies" sure cross the line as far as political activism is concerned. I'm all for taking an active role in the political process, but I think there's a line and once you cross it, your argument is no longer taken seriously. But kudos to them for color coordinating.

Photo courtesy of Roll Call.

Take notes Joe and Sarah

This is what a real vice presidential debate looks like. Are you paying attention Joe Biden and Sarah Palin? Two smart, articulate people debating the issues. Don't dumb this down tonight folks. I want a smart debate.

Really people???

I understand that this whole bailout situation that Congress is voting on is kind of a big deal and people are worried about the future. I totally get that. But I don't think that's a good enough reason for people to be assholes on the phone. I'm a person too and this whole situation affects me as well. So take a breath, calm down, and talk to me like you're an adult who's mother actually taught them manners. Maybe then I'll actually pass your comments on to the Congressman.

Oh, and really, you can't give me the city in Arizona that you're from??? It's not like I'm going to track you down and stalk you. Are you not giving me that information because you're maybe NOT FROM OUR DISTRICT??? Yeah, that's what I thought. Call Gabbi.

****ADDENDUM****

I love it when constituents make threats. Here's my favorite: someone from say Phoenix calls and says, "tell the Congressman to vote no on this bill, otherwise he can count on me NOT voting for him." Oh I just laugh. First of all, silly, you can't vote for him. You're not in his distract. Hahahahahah. Second, even if you were in his district, he's not running again. Double hahahha. Oh silly, uninformed, non-constituents and your empty threats. You're gonna want to call Raul or Harry. K thanks, bye!

Stark realization

It’s starting to hit home that my work here is almost done.

The House photographer came in today so we could get a picture with the Congressman. Then we all went outside to the steps of Cannon to get an office shot. I hadn’t really thought any thing of it until the photographer said, “I always hate this time of year. Members and their offices breaking up.” I saw that she had tears in her eyes, and aside from taking our picture today and doing a photo-op last week, I don’t think she had known the Congressman. And for her to be affected the way she was totally just got to me.

For all intent and purposes, today was the last day of legislative business. So this "family" that I've come to know will soon break up and go our separate ways. It's been a fun ride and a working environment that has been awesome beyond words. Nothing will ever come close...

It's official

I'm old. I have now left the 18-24 year old age bracket. But never you fear! My youthful exhuberance and extreme levels of immaturity will keep me mentally young forever!!!! Hahahahahahaha!

I'll do a full recap of the birthday festivities on Sunday because I don't just celebrate a birthDAY - it's a birthweekend. And this one includs lots of good friends, opera, beer and hotdogs. Yeah, that's what I said. How me is that?? I'll answer that for you. So me!

http://tinyurl.com/4d2osq

Is it weird that I have a favorite bathroom?

Fourth floor Cannon. Right down the hall from my office. It's the one with the window view. That's my favorite bathroom. Really it's my fave because of the view. It looks out over New Jersey Ave and C St SE where there are two identical fountains surrounded by lush green grass and meandering tourists. Sigh...and I'm stuck inside WORKING!

Sigh...

...recess is over. Now it's back to work. We've got three weeks straight of legislative business. The Democrat Leadership is hoping to convene the 110th Congress on September 26th, which means I've got the entire fall/winter to play around before I have to get real serious about a new job in January. And boy do I have plans for the next couple of months.

No Words

Renee sang. I listened. It was Ah-MAZING!!

Too much excitement to process tonight.

The Banner that started it all

Some things are just meant to be. But every once in a while, it takes a sign from up above to get you moving on something. This is that sign, er well banner:

Woah! Wait! Who's that there in the bottom left hand corner? Could it be RENEE FLEMING?!! As a matter of fact, it is.

Last summer - July to be precise - I was in DC for a little vaca. Michelle, Sean, Lauren and I went to the Kennedy Center to see Shear Madness. Upon exiting the Kennedy Center, I noticed this banner ruffling in the breeze and it sent me a-pondering. "Hmmmm," I thought, "maybe I could see Renee Fleming in concert. Note to self, see when she's touring." So as soon as I got back to Arizona, I checked Renee's concert schedule, and the rest is history. I saw her in Denver on September 30th, and when I moved to DC in the winter, I saw her portrayal of Desdemona in the Met's Otello on February 22nd. And now I'm going to Massachusettes this weekend to see her in a concert performance of Eugene Onegin. Plus Lucrezia Borgia in November at the KC and hopefully Thais and Rusalka at the Met in 09.

So were it not for this banner, I probably wouldn't have seen the Denver concert. Which means I more than likely wouldn't have known to check the Met's schedule for Otello. Not seeing Otello probably would have kept me from meeting my new opera buddy Leah. So thank God for little (and big) signs (or banners)!

For the record, this picture was taken July 29th, Mel's birthday, and our little excursion to the KC for the Lion King. More on that for sure!

Just so you know...

...I will be getting back to the blog soon. It's been wicked busy these past few months. And although August brings unbearable weather here in the nation's capital, it also brings a month long recess for us Hill Staffers.

Here's what's on the agenda: A weekend trip to Boston and Lenox, MA, a weekend getaway to NYC for a Yankee's game, and a week long furlow back in hot, but dry Arizona. I've never worked an August in DC before, but I hear our work schedule is slightly less taxing than what we've been previously accustomed too. So that should equate to ample blog time to get caught up. This time I mean it. But don't start looking for regualr postings until mid-August.

Jumping Back In

Whoa!!! So busy, where to even begin? I haven’t had a chance to consistently blog since April. And now it’s almost August. The summer has just flown by and I can’t even believe I’ve lived in DC for almost 6 months. CRAZY!!! But I love it. Now I’m going to attempt to get caught up on what I’ve been doing between May and now. Here goes…

Update

The computer got fixed. God bless the IT guys at work. Nothing was lost. So it should be no time before I get all caught up on the blog. Keep checking back.

Give Teddy a chance

One of my favorite parts about going to the Nats games is the running of the Presidents Race. The race is very competitive between four of our country's beloved presidents - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt. I root for Teddy. Every time. And he breaks my heart, just like those darn Nats. Everytime.

I went to the game on Tuesday to see the Nats take on my own Diamondbacks. Never really following D-back baseball while in AZ, I left my loyalties to lie with the Nats. Not breaking from tradition, the Nats lost 2-0. Although the game wasn't too exciting, the Presidents Race was pretty riveting. Teddy held the lead for 80% of the race. Again, not breaking from tradition, Teddy lost a shoe, tripped, and lost the race to Abe. Another bitter loss.

A fellow blogger and Teddy enthusiast is following the Presidents Race very closely. Since the inception of the race back in 2006, Teddy has not won a single race. But I'm not giving up hope. Run Teddy, run!!!

Go here for the Teddy blog: http://blog.letteddywin.com

For the Record

I had the best of intentions of getting caught up on the blog this weekend, but my computer failed me. Something to do with a corrupt file. So after a half hour on the phone with Dell and an hour an the phone with Max, my computer genius friend, I have two options, restore my computer to day one settings and lose everything, or try and salvage three years worth of schoolwork and memories. I'll go with the latter (depending on how much that'll cost me). And you thought blog posts were few and far between before. Just don't hold your breath waiting for the next one. :) Hopefully I can get this problem rectified soon and get back to blogging as usual. I've got some great stories to tell...

Living it up Jimmy Buffett style

What are your twenties for? Yeah, that's right - doing the things you can't do when you're thirty.

It's all about not being tied down to other people. It's about being able to do stuff you wouldn't normally do when you had someone else to worry about. It's about living in the now. It's about being flexible and spontaneous. It's about being as responsibly irrersponsible as possible. It's about having fun and not worrying about tomorrow. It's about making serious decisions over beer after a long day at work.

And that's where this story begins.

The setting: Cap Lounge, a few blocks from the Capitol
The company: A few of the guys from work and Torrey
The discussion: The January Situation

We're all out of a job in January. Most of our leases are up at the end of the year. Oh, what to do? One of the guys has the luxary of living at home, but if he decides not to go overseas for further education, then he's buying a boat - well a very large yacht. And there's enough room for two other people. One of the guys jumps at the idea of living on a boat on the Potomac. A bit of a step up from living in a van down by the river. (he doesn't live in a van down by the river, I was just thinking of the Chris Farley SNL sketch - roll with me on this one)

As the scenario is discussed, I start thinking "this sounds like a pretty enticing living situation." The metro is close. If I work on the Hill, it's a twenty minute walk. Rent is comparable. IT'S A BOAT!!! It'd only be a year. Why not? When else would I have an opportunity to live on a boat? I get along with the guys from work. All the living amenities are there. Yeah, the quarters might be cramped, but I'm fresh from the dorm mentality where you don't have a lot of space. I can deal. Did I mention IT'S A BOAT????

Well, something to think about for sure. It's still six months away. A lot can happen in that time. Nothing is set in stone. How awesome would that be, though?

Any thoughts on the situation would be welcome.

On an unrelated topic, while sipping our brewskies outside of the Lounge, we spotted several Members walking down the street: Raul Grijalva (AZ-D), Patrick Kennedy (RI-D), Patrick McHenry (NC-R) and several others that I'm not good at recognizing yet.

Oh, summer...

It's summer. You know how I know? First of all, it's soooo hot! And it's starting to get humid. Plus there's tons of sweaty, smelly tourists EVERYWHERE. And the French Open just came to an end. I totally forgot it was on, so I only got to see the men's semis and both the final matches. Watching the French Open is like a summer kick-off tradition for me and I totally missed it. I hate not having cable.

I'm going to leave you with a clip that is not from the French Open, but rather from a Miami tournament where Russian Mikhail Youzhny beat the crap out of himself for a mis-hit. This man's crazy with a capital c. Crazy I tell you!

Opera Awesomeness

It’s no secret that I’m a big opera fan. A few weeks back, Mel traveled to Austria for a museum and library conference with her boss (more on Mel’s boss in a future post). Mel is such a good friend/roommate and always tries to bring us back little mementos from her destinations.

Guess what she got me? Oh, it’s too good for words so just watch:



Oh yeah, that’s marionette opera!!! But Salzburg takes marionette opera super seriously, so the dvd I have is a much higher staged quality. Plus it’s got a super star singing cast including Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland.

If that’s not awesome enough for you, then check out Lego opera. Uh huh, Lego opera.



Enjoy the awesomeness that opera has to offer.

Rudy and the Wedding

Our legislative director was getting hitched in Baltimore. The office was given Friday off so we could make the trek out there in time for the 5:00 nuptials. The scheduler and I were taking the train from Union Station. While waiting against the wall for her, I noticed this important looking man walk by. It took me just a quick second to register that Rudy Giuliani was passing in front of me. I was too shocked by the fact that Rudy was in Union Station to even try chasing after him to say hi. So I smiled extra hard and hoped that he caught that. I immediately emailed Michelle and told her about my sighting.

We got to our hotel in Baltimore and put on our fancy attire. Because of traffic, we barely made it to the church on time. In fact, we walked down the aisle just seconds before the bride. The wedding was at the Basilica, which is absolutely beautiful!!! As was the ceremony.

The reception was at the Baltimore Museum of Industry, which is right on the harbor. It was a gorgeous setting and everything about the evening was awesome. Most of us from work were in the far back corner. We felt like the kids table at Thanksgiving time. They split half of us up, probably for the best. The food was great, the dancing fun, the libations flowing, and the people merry. A fine combination for a great time.

After a late night of merriment, we got a late start to the day. We weren’t in any hurry to leave Baltimore and wanted to see what the city had to offer. Our hotel was super close to the harbor, so we walked in that direction and eventually made our way to the Maryland Science Center. “Body Worlds 2” was currently on display and since the three of us hadn’t seen it, we decided to take a peek at the innards of the human body. Boy was it crazy!!!

I really can’t give much detail to the Body Worlds display. It’s really one of those things that you just have to see.


After staring at cross sections of dead bodies, we had a hankering for some food. So we strolled along the harbor until we came to a Mexican Cantina place. We wanted to sit outside and dine and so did all of the pigeons. They don’t really make good company.

After a satisfying lunch, we headed back to the district.

Meet my new friend Barbara

So I’ve gotten pretty good at waiting in lines. Mel and I waited over four and a half hours for Nats season opening tickets and I waited an hour and a half for standing room tickets for the season closer of Macbeth. On May 8th, I stood in line again.

Barbara Walters just wrote her memoirs and I read in one of the Hill rags that she was going to be at the local bookstore that’s a block away from my office singing copies of her book. I didn’t think much of it the first time I saw the ad, but when I saw the ad a second time on Wednesday, I thought it’d be cool to saunter on over and get a book signed. It’s Barbara Walters for crying out loud!! The lady has interviewed some of the coolest people ever. She’s like a living legend of broadcast television. Plus, let’s be honest, she’s not getting much younger.

The book signing was scheduled for 12:00. I headed over at 11:30. The line was out the door, but someone said book signings generally move pretty quickly. I figured I’d be back to work by 12:30 at the latest. I purchased two books, one for me and one for Mel and took my place in line – outside and in the rain.

You make friends in line, and I talked to a lady who had been to a Hillary Clinton book signing. We just chitchatted for a while to pass the time. And in true star fashion, Barbara Walters showed up at 12:30 – a half hour late. But I suppose she’s Barbara Walters and can do what she wants.

I thought of what I would say to Barbara. I’m sure she always gets asked the following: Who’s your favorite person to interview? Who do you wish you could interview past or present? What was Castro like? etc, etc… But I wanted to be different.

My turn finally came up to meet Barbara. At first, she seemed distant and like she was just going through the motions of signing the book. So I tried to connect to Barbara and make a lasting impression. Here’s how the conversation went:

Me: Hi Miss Walters. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a huge fan of opera and Beverly Sills. I was really touched by your friendship with her and the poignant words you said about her upon her passing.

(Barbara looked me tenderly in the eyes and grabbed my hand and squeezed it obviously touched by my concern)

Barbara: Thank you. She was a dear, dear friend of mine. I miss her dearly. Such a terrible loss in my life and to opera. Thank you so much for your kind words.

Me: Yes, she seemed like a truly nice person. Thank you so much.

Barbara: Thank you.

Someone took our picture and I headed back to work, two signed books in my hand, a smile across my face and a great story to tell.

PS The book is off to a great start. Ms. Walters has paved the way for women in broadcast journalism and it’s just great to hear all the stories from her life and how she got to where she is today. If you ever want to read it, you can borrow my personal signed copy.

Bust out your cots, we're gonna be here a while

We pulled a couple late nights at work a few weeks back. Some important legislation came to the floor including the Iraq War Supplemental and the Farm Bill. Plus, there was some issue with a House clerk submitting the wrong Farm Bill to the president or something, and the president signed the wrong version of the Farm Bill. Google it for all the details. They eventually figured out the mess and straightened everything out.

During the evening, I took a quick break and trekked across the street to Tortilla Coast for a roommate’s birthday. After two margs, I headed back to work. I think I left work at 9:30/10-ish. On my way out, there were a bunch of members coming back to their offices from the Capitol. I saw two of Arizona’s delegation, John Shadegg and Jeff Flake. I smiled extra big at them as I passed by trying to keep myself from shouting out, “I’m from Arizona!”

Then I walked home in the dark - the best way to see DC, all lit up.

Excursions around the Capitol

I was sitting at home one Saturday afternoon with not a whole lot going on. I decided to grab my camera and go for a walk. What you are about to see are various sights and locations that I see on different occasions while living and working in DC. Enjoy.

Around the corner from my house

My favorite address: No. One Third St. NE because it says "No One"

I'm easily amused, I know

Beyond the Library of Congress flags is the Cannon House Office Building - the place I call work

Some weird thingamajig on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. I was hoping I could find some obscur door that would lead to some secret underground passageway. No such luck.

The exterior of the Botanic Gardens

Someone got married there

Some ducks just doing their thing in the Capitol reflecting pool

My homestead (brick house, blue trim)

The End. Until I'm bored on another random Saturday and take another stroll through some part of town. Most of what you just saw I pass on the way to and from work. Except for the ducks and the botanic garden. But sometimes after it rains quite a bit, you can find a duck and some of her babies chilling out in a puddle on the Library of Congress grounds. They make me smile when I see them.

What?!!! Tornado warning???

Yep, that's right. Severe thunderstorm warning and a Tornado watch. How crazy is that??!!! I think we ARE in Kansas.

According to the Weather Channel: "A severe thunderstorm warning remains in effect until 0415. Doppler radar continues to indicate a line of sever thunderstorms capable of producing destructive winds in excess of 70 mph. The storms were moving rapidly east at 60 mph. These storms will produce strong, damaging winds that will come on quickly. Also expect near zero visibility with rain and numerous lighting strikes. Also a tornado watch is in effect for the warned area. Tornadoes can develop suddenly from severe thunderstorms. Be alert for rapidly changing weather conditions as storms approach."

It's pretty crazy out there. Wouldn't want to be the poor fool who was out there when the skies opened up and the rain just pounded down...

Office Awesomeness

So two of our district staffers were in town towards the end of April. Penny and Teresa came in for a district fly-in and both gals are such a hoot to hang out with. We met up with them Tuesday night, and had an interesting convo. Thanks T!

A couple of us went to the Hawk and Dove Wednesday night for a light dinner. Penny, T, and I were walking towards the direction of Union Station and as we were walking, some person starts honking at us. It's our old CoS Patty. She's now working for a VA member. I told her to let me know how the election is going and if she needs help because I desperately miss the campaign trail.

Thursday was scheduled to be the big office get-together at Cantina Marina so everyone could chill and chat. Prior to that, a couple of us took an office field trip to the Library of Congress. Two of the DC guys had never been. For crying out loud, it’s across from where we work and they’ve never been. The shame!!!

The Library of Congress is probably my favorite building in DC. The murals are painted with such vibrant colors. There are so many books and so much history. It’s Congress’ library – it’s my library!

Anywho, Thomas Jefferson donated most, if not all, of his private collection of books to the Library of Congress. His books are on display and they are old, and super awesome. It’s amazing the diverse collection he had.

Cantina was fun. Super crowded, but it’s always good to hang with the office peeps.

I guess the point of this story is if you come to DC, you have to see the Library of Congress.

The Places I Go, The People I Meet

This trip took place April 25-28

After three months away from a place you've lived your whole life, you start missing some things. So after three months in DC, I headed back west to get a dose of western awesomeness. I was on a soccer team in Flagstaff before I moved, and they encouraged me to meet them in Vegas for a soccer tournament. I didn't need much encouraging. It would be prime opportunity to get out of the district, play some quality soccer, hang with some good friends, and meet up w/ my padres.

So off I went on a trip that turned out to be pretty awesome. I met a new friend on the plane. I had a layover in Atlanta, and this girl I was sitting next to had been coming to DC with her company to work for a couple of weeks. She was scheduled to come back a few weeks later, so I gave her my email and told her to let me know when she got back in town.

It was great to see all the Flagstaff girls again. We didn't do so well in the tournament, but it was still a lot of fun, which after all is the most important thing. The team is loaded with a good group of girls, and I was bummed to have left them after finding them just this past summer.

Mom came up to Vegas that afternoon. My wardrobe was desperately lacking in some areas, so we did some power shopping. We met a pretty nice lady in the JC Penny dressing room. She gave some pretty good input on the clothes I picked out and picked up a few things for me to try on even though she was off of work. We chatted a bit, so I’m going to take this opportunity to wish her and her son well.

Father rode the Harley up and met us for dinner. Rather enjoyable I must say. Although, he kept pestering (get it – pest) me about the mouse. Definitely not a rat.

After dinner, mom and I did a bit more shopping and headed over to Barnes and Noble so I could pick up a book for the plane ride home. Standing in line, this lady sparked up a conversation with me. We covered everything from where I worked, what I was doing out here, the presidential election (this always makes me nervous – never know if you’re talking to friend or foe), outgoing personalities, Arbonne, etc.

Apparently this lady was drawn to my outgoing personality and the ease at which I was able to hold a conversation with her. She thought I was the perfect match for reaching out to others with a product that she endorses. I was dead tired, yet managed to discuss all of these things for well over thirty minutes. I gave her my blog address, so if she’s reading, here’s my shout out to you: HELLO! :)

After our losing streak ended with a win on Sunday, madre and I finished up some shopping and she dropped me off at Misty’s house. Misty is a talker. So we talked. For a very long time. And I was tired. But I listened. Because she had a lot to say. And I hadn’t seen her in forever. Misty is such an awesome, energetic person. It was a great opportunity to sit and visit with her. She took me to the airport early Monday morning and I came back to DC.
What I miss about Arizona and the west: the sunsets, good friends, friendly people, open skies, dry heat, cars, family…

It never gets old.

True that, Discovery Channel, true that!! The world IS just awesome!

Probably the greatest one minute committed to film ever. Just makes you glad to be living on this planet.

I'm not the only one

So one of my favorite places to visit on the web is the dcist website (www.dcist.com). There's always info on what's happening in the district accompanied with great shots of the city.

I have a mouse problem (which I'm hoping is resovled), but Tenelytown has a rat problem. Click on the story and read it and the comments. People here are funny!

http://dcist.com/2008/05/22/tenleytown_is_i.php#comments

Urban Dare: BECAUSE WE CAN

Melanie and I do a lot of things just because we can. So we decided to do the Urban Dare, and when we couldn’t think of anything clever for our team name, we decided to be BECAUSE WE CAN. Well, because we can. If you’ll recall, the Urban Dare is a mini Amazing Race with clues taking you all over a city. What is about to unfold is our journey around the district doing weird and cool things, because we can. I’ll give you the clue and answer and show you the picture we had to take.

1) Start – The Ellipse (White House) for the Guinness World Record attempt 3-legged race. Mel and I bound our legs together and practiced a strategy. It worked pretty well because we were one of the top ten teams to cross the finish line. And then the dare started.

We got our sheet of clues and called up two buddies for Google help. Shout out to the SB and Trey for mad googling skillz. I was able to answer a few of the questions, but would have no idea where to find them in the district. So we answered all the questions and located them on our handy dandy map and set out on our way.

I would just like to say that there were some pro looking teams that were in pretty good shape. I hadn’t played soccer since January so I had lost a bit of speed and my crap ankle was giving me problems. Mel and I agreed to just do our best and try to finish under three hours.

2) Get your picture with five different statues of persons known as the liberator.
I don’t remember their names, but they were all along Constitution Ave from 18th-25th streets. Most of them were up on a horse. We ran a lot. Also talked to a few people who were wondering what we were up to.

Did I mention we ran a lot? Plus it was a bit warm. And I kinda had to use the restroom. So we stopped at this gas station to grab some Gatorade – gotta replenish those electrolytes – made a quick pit stop, and had a dude take our picture of refueling at the gas tank (do you get that pun?).

3) He was first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen. Go to his circle for your spellbound dare.
So it’s Washington Circle. I got that it was Washington, but had no idea where it was. When we got there, we had to find the corresponding numbers to the letters that spelled out CONFIDENTIAL. It took us awhile to find one of the letters, and when I heard someone shout out “10 for T” I ran back to Mel and we submitted our number.

4) When Pinochet took power in Chile, Orlando Letelier went into exile in the US. Pinochet’s henchmen killed him here in DC with a car bomb. Get your picture with the memorial to this incident.
There’s a little plaque at Sheridan Circle on Embassy Row, Massachusetts and 23rd NW.

On the way to our next clue, we saw a statue of Ghandi. Some other Urban Dare-ites were getting their picture taken, and I told Mel we should to. You never know when we’d be back up in this neck of the woods, so might as well get a snap shot with Ghandi while you can. Plus, we ended up getting five minutes taken off our time with this pic. Don’t ask me how, but Mel finagled it out of the judge.

5) Remember a famous duo singing I Got You Babe? Get your picture with the plaque honoring the part of the duo who died in a skiing accident. That’s too easy – Sonny Bono of Sonny and Cher fame. The plaque was located in Dupont on New Hampshire and 20th street. A little tidbit for all you readers: did you know that Sonny was a US Congressman representing the Palm Spring, CA area? And his wife, Mary Bono know holds his seat since he died in the skiing accident? See, I know some stuff.

6) Across from the District of Columbia Courthouse, get your picture with the woman who is clearly gilty.
We didn’t really have an answer for a specific statue and just assumed we’d head over to the courthouse and look for the “gilty woman.” We metro’ed over from Dupont and had time to contemplate the clue. Obviously “gilty” is spelled wrong, and right as we approached the statue, I exclaimed, “she’s gonna be gold.” Sure enough she was.

I wanted to get really close, so Mel and I hopped into the empty fountain.

7) Go to the outdoor rotunda that lies on sovereign territory of our neighbor to the north. Let out a yell and check out the amazing acoustics, and take your picture to show you were there.
It’s the Canadian Embassy (forget the cross streets, but I can see it from the Capitol). We didn’t give a shout out – just took the picture.

Don't know what this is except for us being awesome???8) He is the only person to serve as the US president and as Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. Go there for the next dare.
It’s Taft, and although I knew there was a president who became a chief justice after leaving the White House, I could not, for the life of me, think of his name. Anyways, once we got to his statue, we had to answer three trivial pursuit questions. They weren’t too hard, but it was definitely an outdated version.

Tired Still going strong


9) Do the words Pass and Stow ring a bell? Get your picture with a replica of a famous American icon with these words.
Ummm, yes they ring a bell! Thank you National Treasure. Pass and Stow – the Liberty Bell! I totally got that one. So we ran over to the replica that’s outside of Union Station.

10) When Andrew Jackson tried to fire this Secretary of War, he barricaded himself in his office and Congress began impeachment proceedings against the president. Go to this Secretary’s park for your next dare.
So it turned out to be John Henry Eaton and it was at Cleveland Park. Mel was a human wheelbarrow. After running all over the district, it’s hard to do a proper rendition of one, so we kinda struggled with this. Sadly, there is no video or photo documentation of this ridiculous stunt.

11) Go to the avenue where Barack and Hillary are currently doing battle and the intersection of the avenue where John Edwards is from for your connect four dare.
Mel got to this question before me and answered Pennsylvania and South Carolina. I thought about it for a second, and said, “that ain’t right.” John Edwards is not from SC. He’s from the same state as Elizabeth Dole and I always thought it was cool that Sam was represented by Dole in the Senate and Sam lived in NC. So we needed to head to Penn and NC. Where Mel played two games of connect four before moving on to the last clue.

Finish – There is only one amendment to the US Constitution that has been repealed. Go there for the finish and give thanks for the repeal.
Seriously??? Too easy!! The 18th Amendment established Prohibition of alcohol. It was later repealed. There’s a bar named the 18th Amendment and I knew exactly where it was. On Penn Ave near Eastern Market. We made a mad dash to the 18th. I turned on the turbo jets and kept my mind on that celebratory beer awaiting me.

Victory Face, which I guess is the same as tired and exhausted face. And the I really need a beer face.We made it in and our official time (with time bonuses) was 2:26:04 and we were 17th place out of 120+ teams. Ah-flippin-MAZING!!! I chugged a glass of water and threw back a glass of beer in no time. Then I hit the chips and salsa and two more cups of water and fell back into the couch in the corner of the bar. I was spent, but totally rocked the Urban Dare.

Oh man! Because we can, for sure! Sometimes I can't get over how cool I am and all the cool stuff Mel and I do. We're totally awesome. Next year, we're totally going balls to the wall and taking first place. Just you watch...

Neptune's Fountain says spring is here.

I walk past the Library of Congress to and from work everyday, and since I moved out here back in January, the fountain in front of the library has remained dormant. Even around Easter time when the water began springing forth from the majority of fountains throughout the district, the Library of Congress fountain stayed dry.

That was until one bright and cheery morning in April. Victory was mine! The fountain was flowing and to me it signified the beginning of spring. The last fountain to bubble forth water was finally bubbling with glee.

I see a lot of fountains in DC, and I thought it would be cool if I took pictures and then gave you all a little background of them. Sort of a way for me to show you the city.

So here’s a blurb on the Library of Congress Fountain found on the loc.gov website:

The Neptune Fountain is a lavishly ornamental fountain created by sculptor Roland Hinton Perry. It represents a scene in the court of Neptune, the Roman god of the sea. The muscular and majestic Neptune, with his long flowing beard, is seated on a bank of rocks. The figure is of colossal size, and on each side of Neptune lolls a figure of Triton, one of the minor sea gods, blowing a conch shell to summon water deities to Neptune’s throne. Sea nymphs, sea horses, sea monsters, gigantic frogs, and huge turtles are part of this extraordinary and splendid grotto of the sea.

The Neptune Fountain is quite the draw for tourists in DC, especially pre-pubescent boys oogling over the naked water nymphs. But to me, it's a constant reminder that nothing but glorious summer days are ahead!