Politics Is Everywhere

I never realized how political a city DC is until recently. Sounds odd, right? Outsiders ONLY see DC as the nation's capital, where the President lives, where Congress decides to go to war, and from where Wolf Blitzer reports when he's not in Afghanistan.

No, DC was just where all my family lives, where I went to school, took violin lessons, hung out with my friends, and generally grew up a happy, curious kid. That Congress was busy controlling our lives ten minutes from my house, or that not much farther away the President of the free world was plugging away at health care or an intern didn't often cross my mind.

But recently, a short walk through Union Station after lunch at B. Smiths--and I recommend the Butternut Soup--reminded me of how politics is everywhere in DC.

We were just passing A Gate, when the doors to the MARC train terminal opened to the hoarse-voiced shout: "Impeach George Bush!" "Impeach George Bush!" The Crazy Train arrived. Dressed in all black and walking briskly despite the weight of a backpack and a cane, this impassioned man continued to yell at intervals timed to the voices in his head. He seemed frustrated that no one dropped their slices of Sbarros pizza, or shredded their Amtrak tickets to join him immediately, which made him yell even louder and closer to our faces.

I truly appreciate civic participation, and tourists getting a dose of what the city is really like, but when the authentic scares a poor kid in from Oklahoma from eating his Ben and Jerry's...maybe we can scale back a bit.