I was trying to come up with something positive to say about Washington D.C.  Today we think of Washington D.C. as a political morass, or a swamp, but it truly is a remarkable city.  Few other countries have a city established precisely to be the seat of a national government.  In 1790, the Residence Act, laid the foundation for the creation of a capital district, and George Washington selected the site for the new capital.  The city of Washington, named for a truly remarkable man and patriot was established in 1791.  Today what we have is a very well laid-out city that is completely functional as the seat of a great nation.  The facilities of the executive, legislative and judicial heads of our national government are impressive, functional and deeply and appropriately symbolic.  The current occupants good and sometimes bad, are carrying forward a remarkable tradition of separation of powers, and something of cooperation within this city.

This city though, is much more than the location of the current heads of each branch and the mechanisms of national service to our nation, it is also a living, working monument to our great country and its historic democratic values.  The Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Arlington National Cemetery, all resounding tributes to our history, and our values, and appropriate remembrances.  Furthermore, we are a nation of culture, of science, and of art, and that too is captured in museums that are grand and so very effective of telling the history of mankind, of our country, of science, and effective in keeping art in the forefront of our story and the telling of that story. Museums that are free to every citizen as, is our monuments to our very successful republic.

The city functions with effective transportation systems, security and the feeling of grand spaces, beauty as well as efficiency.  Yes, not everyone will agree with me, and I know most would like to see less acrimony and more collaboration among our leaders. Me too!  I would still have to opine that the debates, the checks and balances, and the peaceful transitions of power are all symbols of democratic values that remain well intact, and furthermore the function and form of the city that is our national center is remarkable.  I believe George Washington would be very proud of his city, and our nation, the greatest in the history of world!