Yesterday, one visitor to the nation's Capitol turned to another and asked, "What's that sound?"

But, I'm getting ahead of my story. OneNationUnder1

For two nights, motorists on Pennsylvania Avenue, in D.C., were distracted by all the arms sticking out of the White House windows. Each hand, at the end of a pin-striped sleeve, was palm up with forefinger extended, each finger glistening in the floodlighted darkness - like it was wet. The first observation was reported Monday night, after Attorney General Gonzales' arrival, with all his bodyguards.  As you recall, AG Gonzales had spent the day on the Hill saying, "It's all legal. it's all legal, it's all legal!" 

Then, on Tuesday, Washington, D.C.. was abuzz about some renegade Republican Representative, from some far out place like New Mexico, who'd defied the ever-powerful Bush's Brain, Karl Rove, by saying publicly that the NSA role in the White House's secret domestic spying operation warranted investigation. Lo and behold, this woman was Chairperson of the House Committee with oversight responsibility for the NSA.

By early Tuesday afternoon, tourists were flocking to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to snap photographs of the pin-striped arms once again protruding from the White House windows with index fingers aloft!

And the row at the Justice Department on Tuesday! It was audible for blocks and even the most casual passer-by wondered about all the pin-striped arms, with extended forefingers, sticking out of the windows. Oh, the sounds of lawyerly argument - so loud that pedestrians were crossing to the south side of the street with hands over their ears.

Well, the White House phenomenon of the previous night occurred again Tuesday night after Vice President Cheney arrived under the White House portico.  He'd just finished a rare appearance on the News Hour with Jim Leherer. Cheney had observed, "Well we haven't had another terrorist attack since we started the [NSA warrantless eavesdropping] program," and Leherer had asked if there was any real cause and effect in that. As I recall, the Vice President's reply wasn't all that memorable -- or audible…

Shift now to the two visitors under the Capitol rotunda on Wednesday. They turned to see an elephant wearing beach sandals strolling down a corridor and they sprinted after it. The elephant turned into the room with the sign, House Intelligence Committee -- Closed Session and, as the door slammed, all they heard was flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop.

The one visitor turned to the other and said, "Damn, I thought it was a circus…" The other replied, "Me too, an' wouldn't hot popcorn and peanuts taste good? I mean, that cold wind outside is blowin' from every which direction…."

Odd, how history repeats itself, isn't it?

The Capitol scene occured again, except today, it involved a tourist from Florida and another from Ohio. They chased the elephant down a corridor in the Senate Wing of the Capitol and, after the door, labeled Senate Intelligence Committee -- Closed Session, slammed in their faces, all they heard was flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop.