Well, it is August in the Nation’s Capital and like almost everyone else (we’ll get to that in a moment), Bureau Chief Jeffrey Silva, who usually occupies this space, is on vacation.
Washington in August is a pretty dull place (although this year could be different since the president is scheduled to give his video-taped deposition about Monica Lewinsky today).
Washington is a company town and Congress is the company and Congress is not here. When Congress leaves, so does everyone else.
The only people left are tourists and those, like me, who are holding down the fort while someone else is gone.
Of course, there is a good reason to escape Washington in August. It is it is hazy, hot and humid.
How hot is it, you ask? Well before the days of air conditioning, I’ve been told, the citizens of Washington would take blankets and pillows and sleep under the stars at Hains Point. Hains Point is the public golf course near the Jefferson Memorial.
The habit of escaping Washington in August goes back a long time.
Senators during the last century started arranging their schedules around leaving Washington before the steamy days of August rolled around. The tradition has continued. Since Congress leaves, so does everyone else.
Leaving Washington became easier at the turn of the last century when developers built rail lines out to the beach communities in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Now places like Virginia Beach, Rehobeth and Ocean City, N.J., and Ocean City, Md. (yes, there are two of them-at least) are bustling areas of activity as families escape for a while.
Of course, not everyone goes to the beach. If you work on The Hill, you usually tell people “you are going to the State or the district.” If you work on The Hill and you are forced to work in August, it really isn’t too bad. Most offices allow casual dress and relaxed work hours. Indeed, I once worked for an office that was open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a one-hour lunch.
Needless to say, not a lot of work gets done in August.
