A Presidential Possibility

When I work up this morning and opened my blinds to see to the autumnal sunlight reflecting off the Jefferson Memorial I knew that today would be perfect for a run, before I started reading for the week.  I have always considered it a privilege to live on campus, just four blocks away from the National Mall and other famous landmarks like the Kennedy Center.  Even though I have jogged from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol dozens of times, I still get a special feeling when passing by the White House or the Museum of Natural History (my favorite Smithsonian).

However today’s run was particularly significant because I caught a glimpse of an elder statesman sitting on a folding chair and woman in a regal black dress standing beside him at the World War II Memorial.  I had noticed what appeared to be interviews of veterans going on all summer, but just before I was about to pass the couple, I noticed that the man sitting in the chair was former Presidential candidate Senator Bob Dole and his wife, Senator Elizabeth Dole.  In that moment their presence epitomized the gratitude of all Americans and provided great encouragement to the on lookers, especially to the older veterans.

I stopped running to get a closer look and while I was walking past them, Senator Elizabeth Dole looked my way and I had the chance to have a brief conversation with her.  I mentioned that I was am a law clerk at the American Red Cross this semester and I thanked her for her years of service as President of that organization.  She responded that those were eight important years (1991 – 1999) of her time here in DC.  It was a wonderfully unexpected occurrence but one that is typical of the GW Law experience.  From members of Congress and the Cabinet, to the media elite (GW is hosting a debate between Jon Stewart and Bill O’Reilly), to Heads of State, your legal education will be punctuated with direct access to the policy makers and practitioners that make Washington such a wonderful place to begin a career.

Sincerely,

-Paul

P.S.: I love your comments or questions posted here or in my inbox at pwaters@law.gwu.edu.

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