Dowd: Bring in Obama's Cleaning Crew

Obama can restore the capital's brilliance, writes Times columnist
By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 6, 2008 8:11 AM CST
Dowd: Bring in Obama's Cleaning Crew
Supporters of President-elect Barack Obama celebrate near the White House Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008 in Washington.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

For Maureen Dowd, the election of Barack Obama means more than just an end to the Bush years; it's a chance for Washington itself to regain its moral standing. Outside the White House on election night—"there was no U-Haul in the driveway"—the New York Times columnist considers the monuments of her hometown, which "have lost their luminescence in recent years," and what an Obama-led capital would look like.

The White House has gone from Clintonite "Motel 1600" to Bush-era bunker, and other places have been similarly sullied: the National Archives holds a redacted Constitution, the Lincoln Memorial looks absurd after "the black neighborhoods of a charming American city were left to drown while the president mountain-biked." Obama might not be up to the task of rebuilding Washington, Dowd admits. But if he is, "he may be heading for his own monument one day." (More Barack Obama stories.)

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