Thursday – May 12, 2005

Off to the Dirksen Senate Office Building this morning–via taxi this time. One tip, if someone says go to the corner of C and 3rd, make sure you know if it’s north or south, east or west! When we walked into the Senate Foreign Relations Hearing Room, seats were reserved for “Guests of Senator Lugar”...wow. (Yes, I have my sheet!) While we waited, Mr. Kiplinger (of the Kiplinger Report) walked by where I was sitting, looked at our badges, and made a very nice comment about Sen. Lugar.

We witnessed the beginning of the debate on John Bolton’s nomination as Ambassador to the United Nations; the media was everywhere, walking around, in and out, and trying for the best angle. As Sen. Lugar was speaking, the other senators filed in at various times until all of them were in place. Because of our schedule, we had to leave during Sen. Voinovich’s comments but could have stayed all day to listen to the discussion. CNN provided proof of our presence – we were even spotted by someone watching the hearing in Indiana.

But go we must. Back to the bus with Kerry Williams, military liaison for Sen. Lugar’s office, who had arranged for our visit to the Pentagon. Inside we were escorted to a private dining room. Once in the room, we were greeted by and dined with five female Air Force generals and general designees. I will treasure the experience of speaking with women who are proudly making a difference in their own areas of expertise. And, yes, Kerry, poor guy, was outnumbered!

We made a stop next at the National Transportation Safety Board to see Ellen Engleman Connor. She spoke with our group and the Alaska five about the process of being confirmed, waiting for the actual appointment, and some adventures traveling to accident sites. Ellen was very hospitable to us – of course, she is a Lugar alum!