On the Hill

Today my class went up to the Hill to meet with Congressman Donald Manzullo, a Republican from rural northern Illinois. My Professor told us beforehand that Congressmen usually only meet with his classes for about 20 minutes, then run off to some important meeting somewhere.

Congressman Manzullo met with us for almost an hour and a half.

He called this part of his job--talking with students like us--"therapy". One story he told us really stuck with me. Part of his district includes the city where the Obama administration plans to move suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. He said that the administration gave him less than 12 hours notice before they announced their decision. He was given no say in the matter. Some experts claimed that the Congressman's district, should the administration make the move, could be a new target for terrorists, a huge "security risk".

The Congressman told us about how he quickly became obsessed with the issue. Fearing for his constituents, he no longer slept at night. He said he couldn't bear the thought of a disaster in his district, something that would be on his conscience for the rest of his life. His staff began to notice, and convinced him to concentrate on other issues for the sake of his sanity. They said he was "too close" to this one.

Even the biggest cynic in that room couldn't see the Congressman as anything less than genuine. No matter your politics, no matter the facts of the case, to see this man talk so passionately about his district and the responsibility he felt for it was truly inspiring.

In a time of such cynicism and distrust of government, it was a powerful moment.