Rightfully so, a number of skeptical DUers have questioned whether or not I was really spending time up on Capitol Hill, sharing information about my time at Halliburton with lawmakers and their staffs in the late winter / spring of this year.
I get it. I really do. If the shoe were on the other foot, I might be among the more skeptical.
On Wednesday, April 5, 2006, after a VERY LONG DAY up on Capitol Hill - spent at various lawmakers' offices - I went to see one of my favorite Hill staffers, in Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's offices. Noting that I looked beat, she asked me what I had planned for the evening. I told her that I'd really like nothing more than to chill out in the Senate Gallery, while letting traffic die down. The immigration bill was under discussion (there had been some pretty big rallies near the Hill), and I was curious to see what the floor debate was looking like.
Smiling, she pulled out a bluish/greenish ticket for the Gallery. "Have fun!" she said, calling out, "Senator Clinton is due on the floor later, by the way!"
OK. So now you know. I am a full-on Gov Geek. This is my idea of a good time.
If you have never been to the Senate Visitor's Gallery - the artwork alone is well worth the trip. I get a lump in my throat every time I pass by these pieces. "How can anyone come here and remain corrupt?"
Well, I got to the door, and the docent (or whatever they're called) handed me the guide. I always take one; I always see something new.
The Gallery wasn't that crowded, and the Senate floor was devoid of Senators. (I got there right about dinner time.)
Those docents (or Gallery goons) run a tight ship. Even though it wasn't crowded, the queen bee was insistent that we all scoot down to the end. The couple sitting to my right - out-of-towners - were beginning to grumble about the lack of visible activity. There's only so long you can look at the pages whispering to each other on the Senate floor, without going a little stir crazy.
In walked Harry Reid, and everyone got excited. He strode to his desk, grabbed something, and strode back out. Everyone deflated.
That letdown seemed too much for the couple to my right. They began whispering to each other about whether they should just go. I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose, but I also knew that Senator Clinton was - supposedly - due on the floor later. Leaning over, I whispered to tell them what I'd been told by Senator Clinton's staffer.
Well, that was the icebreaker that sparked a conversation. I learned that the couple were in town so that he could do the DC Comedy Fest (she has her own act, but wasn't performing). Eventually, the subject got around to why I was on the Hill that day.
After about another 15 minutes or so, official word came that there would be no more floor activity to speak of for the rest of the evening (the Senate can be like that, sometimes). As we left, I asked them whether they'd had a chance to see much more of the town. I loathe traffic, and love showing out-of-town friends and family members around town.
We spent about an hour or so taking in sights a lot of tourists miss (e.g., the tunnels under the Senate Office Buildings). The Russell Senate Office Building had a beautiful temporary exhibit of Currier & Ives. We all enjoyed those.
As I drove them back to their hotel, he told me I should call in to the Kojo Nnamdi Show on WAMU (NPR) the next day. He was due to be interviewed there. I agreed to call in, play it straight, and guarantee that he had at least one caller to play off of. He told me to be sure to drop by the Comedy Fest "will call," for 2 tickets.
Independent verification of our chance encounter may be heard between time index 10:00 and 12:00, using Windows Media (I assume it's the same on the other formats):
http://www.wamu.org/programs/kn/06/04/06.php#10823Emo Philips is the comic in question:
http://www.emophilips.com/home- Dave
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