A boy's adventures in D.C.-land

Posted on Thu, Sep. 17, 2009
Michael Smerconish: A boy's adventures in D.C.-land
By Michael Smerconish - Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
Daily News Opinion Columnist

DEMOCRATIC City Committee's chairman, U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, introduced my 13-year-old son into the corridors of power Monday night.

His rite of passage came after Brady and colleague John Murtha hosted a reception in honor of Jose Melendez-Perez, the immigration inspector who on Aug. 4, 2001, turned back Mohamed al-Kahtani, the man intended to be the 20th hijacker on 9/11. Melendez-Perez is the subject of my new book, "Instinct: The Man Who Stopped the 20th Hijacker."

I thought that attending the event was worth pulling my son out of school a bit early to accompany me on his first trip to the nation's capital.

It was memorable.

THE PUBLISHER of "Instinct" provided a car driven by the appropriately named Patrick Leahy. Not that Patrick Leahy, but I was tempted all day to call him "senator."

Waiting for us outside the Cannon House Office Building was Ken Smukler, a longtime friend and political operative who has worked with Brady for years.

Cannon is prime political real estate. It's just across the street from the Capitol, which means the members it houses have only a short walk to cast their votes. Considering his seniority and clout as chairman of the Committee on House Administration (he's known as the "Mayor of Capitol Hill"), it's not surprising that Brady landed there.

As the three of us began walking down the formal hallway, the first office we passed belonged to Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. I've interviewed Paul several times and appreciate his sense of principle even when I disagree with him.

So I poked my head into the office and asked the young guy manning the desk if I could leave his boss a note. He offered me a Post-it. I asked for some letterhead.

Then I heard Paul's unmistakable voice from an adjoining office.

"Is the congressman in?" I asked. The young man was already well-schooled in Washington office protocol: "I'm not sure if he's available."

A moment later, I heard him mangle my name as he tried to tell the congressman who was asking for him. "He's on the phone?" Paul inquired.

Soon after I was introducing my son to the former Republican presidential aspirant. He left the office with a pocket version of the Constitution signed by Paul. Not bad swag for a teen who'd just arrived in town.

When we arrived at the reception, Brady told us that a few procedural votes would take place that night, and said he'd like to take my son to the House floor to help cast them.

Monday evening votes are scheduled, Brady said, to ensure that members of Congress are back in Washington and ready for Tuesday's session. I told my son he'd be wise to vote opposite the way Brady intended.

Soon the reception was interrupted by bells alerting members to the pending vote. Brady escorted Melendez-Perez; his wife, Carmen, and me to the peanut gallery and proceeded to the floor with my son.

Picture Brady, the Philly-bred bear of a labor leader, making his way through the crowd with a 13-year-old - decked out in his school blazer - by his side.

The three votes included resolutions "supporting the goals and ideals of senior caregiving and affordability," another "expressing support for designation of National Safety Month" and one "supporting the goals and ideals of National Coaches Appreciation Week." Each passed unanimously. My son has been bragging ever since about his 100 percent approval rating.

From the gallery, I watched him mingle with Brady's colleagues and stand in the spot where President Obama delivered his address on health-care reform last week, the same place presidents stand to deliver their State of the Union addresses.

Suddenly, the big grin on Brady's face told me he had one more introduction to make. He and my son were standing patiently next to a distinguished-looking woman finishing a conversation. After a moment, she turned her attention to them.

My son told me Nancy Pelosi couldn't have been nicer.

And Brady - always counting his votes and expanding his base - had just trumped Paul with the speaker of the House.

Listen to Michael Smerconish weekdays 5-9 a.m. on the Big Talker, 1210/AM. Read him Sundays in the Inquirer. Contact him via the Web at www.smerconish.com.