THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

I spent a lot of time on Capitol Hill, but my picture of it is entirely different from the picture drawn by the media commentators.

The media talk about Congress as a place where everybody is on the take and where there is little interest in working for what is right.

Everybody in Congress, according to the media, is in on having sex with interns and every other sleazy activity. They say that if sleeping with interns was a disqualification, ninety percent of congressmen would be out.

That's not the Capitol Hill I saw.

In all my years on the Hill and in the Administration I saw almost nothing but dedicated workaholics. I was there at night, I did a lot more than just earn my salary. When I was there late, I saw lots of other offices occupied by people just like me.

As to corruption, nobody would dare try to try to bribe a real fanatic like me.

Of course, the Capitol Hill I saw was the one I spent my time in. I didn't see others bedding down young girls, because I was in my office or writing at home. Naturally the people I associated with were doing the same thing.

So if you ask me about congressmen and their staffs, my experience is with honest ideological nut-cases like myself. The people I worked with were those like my boss John Ashbrook and Jesse Helms.

They scared the media precisely because they are so unbendingly dedicated to what they see as right.

So when someone with Hill experience says everybody they know is corrupt and sex mad, what are they telling you about themselves?

Capitol Hill is a huge place, and everybody really knows only his corner of it. What he sees will not tell you the objective truth about the Hill, but it tells you all about the commentator and the people he is used to dealing with.