|
My
meeting with the Speaker of the House . . . .
Thursday,
July 12, 9:30 AM.
Fellow
NET member Kara Mitchell and I are walking from Union Station to a meeting
in Senator Ted Kennedy's office to suggest changes to the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB). It's already hot on the Hill and there I am wearing a
dark gray suit.
My
cell phone rings. "Is this Dennis Fehr?"
"Yes."
It's
the appointment secretary for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The
temperature spikes ten degrees. The secretary says the
Speaker's schedule is full for the day, but that she wants to meet with me
that afternoon if she can find time. Will I be available?
"Oh, rats!" I reply. "Me
and my buddies are down for miniature golf this afternoon. We tee off at
2:10. I'm so sorry."
I didn't really say
that. I really said, "I am available at
the Speaker's pleasure."
She says she will call me if she can fit me in.
My suit is now a sauna.
At 1:00 my phone rings again. Can I meet with the
Speaker at 1:50?
"I can."
I head straight for
the reflecting pool on the Mall, roll my pants up over my knees, and step
in. I drag my suit coat through the water, wring it out, snap it to remove
the wrinkles, and put it back on.
Wondering what the Speaker wants to talk about, I
arrive at the entrance to her office suite at 1:45. I am shown into a
reception area and seated by a courteous young man who brings me cold
water in stemware. I briefly contemplate pouring the water on my head
but I think better of it.
What is proper
protocol for meeting the Speaker of the House? Genuflection? Probably. And best if done constantly. Must I call her Your Majesty? Probably
not. But then how could it hurt?
I pat the camera in my pants pocket for perhaps
the twentieth time. It has a fresh battery and I am packing a spare. There
is no way this event will happen without photographic documentation.
At promptly 1:50 the Speaker emerged from a
doorway. She walked over and greeted me with that characteristic Pelosi
grace. She led me into a large reception room and offered me a seat. Also
in the room was her chief of staff. We discussed the eight-month history
of the NET, possible names for the new incarnation of NCLB, and the
results of my two days of meetings.
Then a governor of
one of the states (for the life of me I cannot recall which governor or
which state) arrived for his appointment. I forgot all about the camera.
Stu. Pid.
We said goodbye. As
I exited the Capitol I realized that this meeting was the Speaker's
gesture of appreciation for the NET's efforts.
How should we feel?
Hon. Ored.
|