Potomac Confidential

Marc Fisher (The Washington Post)

Potomac Confidential fills the midday lull with discussion of the latest news and a rigorous slicing and dicing of the issues that define who we are and where we live.

This Week's Columns:

For It's Drive, Drive, Drive to The Home Team (June 10)

Rosy Outlook Hid Ugly Facts From Reagan (June 8)

Three Old Pros With a Flair for Political Carnival (June 6)

In his weekly show, Washington Post Metro columnist Marc Fisher veers wildly from serious probing to silly prattle, and is open to topics local, national, personal and more.

A transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Marc Fisher: Welcome aboard, Reaganauts and skeptics alike. Reaction to Tuesday's column about some of the 40th president's blind spots has been surprisingly and overwhelmingly positive, but of course opinions will vary. Today's column takes a test drive to the leading stadium sites in Washington and Virginia for our new baseball team (think positively!) And the Sunday offering considered the revival of the holy trinity of Washington area news-- Willie Don Schaefer, Doug Wilder and Marion Barry.
We'll get to your many comments and questions in a moment, but first, the Yays and Nays of the Day:
Yay to Mayor Tony Williams and the D.C. council members who finally seem on the road to making it possible to hire a schools superintendent. Williams is dropping his strange and overreaching insistence on running the city's public schools, and so a real superintendent with a real record of accomplishment is about to sign on to take the toughest schools job in America. Can Carl Cohn make a difference here? I have no idea, but it will be fascinating to see.
Nay to the voters and politicians of Virginia's 8th congressional district, for making certain that we will indeed have Jim Moran to kick around for at least two and probably many more years. Voters seem to have no intention of holding Moran to account for his wayward deeds, and politicians in northern Virginia lack the courage or will to challenge the incumbent, no matter how embarrassing his behavior.
Your turn:

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Marc-
Just a line to let you know that I appreciated Tuesday's column regarding Reagan. I am no fan of the man, but I appreciated the fact that your column managed to point out his many shortcomings without being overly harsh.

On a second thought, what in the world is going on with this D.C. schools superintendent search? The best word to describe it is haphazard and unorganized, quite like the school system itself.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--what does it say about our society that in our dotage we have become ever more obsessed with the deaths of the famous? Whatever you think of Reagan, this celebration is like nothing we've seen since the death of Princess Diana--which of course was an utterly meaningless event in comparison to the death of a president. Why have we collectively gone over the top in our reactions to the deaths of the prominent? Is it purely a response to media hype or is there a larger issue driving this?

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Falls Church, Va.: The Reagan column was filled with so many liberal cliches, it was nearly comical. A guy runs into trouble because he follows the advice of his union to break the law and somehow you turn it into Reagan not caring? I'm sure there isn't the time or the place for a strike debate, so I'll just ask: what is it about 92 months of economic expansion and a near constant increase in personal income that is so upsetting?

Marc Fisher: I plainly said in the column that Reagan cannot be blamed for the fall of that one air traffic controller. But he very much was responsible for the enormous increase in the gap between rich and poor during his time in office. We can all play games with statistics while trying to prove our theories of Reagan's impact good or bad, but there's no denying the tremendous increase in inequalities that divide the haves from the have-nots in our country, and that happened primarily during the Reagan years.

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Springfield, Va.: Hi Marc. Cheers to you for having a chat today. After reading your Reagan column I hope you are transmitting from a bomb shelter.

Marc Fisher: I make it a practice always to conduct the show from the Post's secluded and triply-sealed Skepticism Protection Bunker, though I must say that the new corporate effort to save on air-conditioning down here so far beneath the surface of the city is a bit much.

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Rockville, Md.: It's been nearly a week of Ronald Reagan accolades, etc. I don't mind hearing about his accomplishments, but I think now it is getting to the point that conservative talk show hosts are making him into some type of god. Interestingly, they have not congratulated the military on the picture perfect procession and everything that went along with it. Not a slip at all. When do you think people will start to comment on the negative things Reagan did: triple the debt and basically ignore individuals who were HIV positive.

Marc Fisher: Our own vice president called RR "a providential man," which is a lot closer to declaring him to be supernatural than I'm comfortable with coming from our elected leaders. I agree that much of the media coverage has been way over the top and utterly lacking in skepticism or even in basic information, but I thought that yesterday's Page One story by Eric Pianin and Tom Edsall looking at the real legacy of the Reagan administration was a useful and respectful restorative.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc,

I'm in a really bad mood today, mostly because I have been sentenced to my apartment tomorrow during all the festivities due to traffic, uber-tourists on Metro, etc. Should I spend my time on this chat, or head over to Foreign Policy?

Marc Fisher: Stick and stay--we will provide a scientifically perfected blend of irony, cynicism, and love of our fellow man that will melt away your soreness over the invasion of the mourners.

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Arlington, VA: I did not get to see too many of the festivities yesterday, but I caught one live shot of the caisson being pulled along Const Ave, and the crowd seemed to be applauding. Was this the American boobiosie giving in to its uncultivated instincts, or was I missing something?

Marc Fisher: It rubbed me kind of wrong too, especially when I saw crowds applauding for Nancy Reagan--she deserves all the respect and honor folks can muster, but applause seems terribly out of step with the proper tone.

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Arlington, Va.: Will someone explain to me why Ronald Reagan's well-documented fibs made him more loveable, while Bill Clinton's fuzziness over his relationship with Monica Lewinsky led to demonization?

Marc Fisher: I'd like to hear other thoughts on this, but doesn't it have something to do with intent and knowledge? The assumption, from friends and foes alike, was that Reagan didn't know the details of the policies about which he would say wrong things--that he really didn't want to know the details--while Clinton was obsessively involved in detail and therefore could and should be held accountable for each boneheaded move. And when Clinton cut corners and covered up on his personal life, it was done in such a cunning, lawyerly way that no one could respect it.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I sure didn't see many blacks or Hispanics lining Constitution Ave. yesterday -- well, except the police and military.

Marc Fisher: Yes, the color differential out there is more than a little striking. This is the whitest crowd I've seen since the last time I went to a hockey game. Does that tell us that this is a wholly partisan crowd? It'd be interesting to get a party affiliation count from this crowd.

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Annandale, Va.: We have collectively gone over the edge, because this is a great man. In the intelligentsia world, the everyman is the great man. Well, maybe in literary circles, but this man caused World War III to not occur, and he turned the tide of big, worthless government around. Not to mention he restored pride in being an American to millions by inspiring us. To many naysayers I say look in your own hearts to whom you admire and see if their actions are so large. This man was a great world leader and he is gone and we shall miss him.

Marc Fisher: There are good and worthy arguments to be made about Reagan's impact domestically, but the notion that he was a success in foreign policy seems so wildly out of step with reality that it's hard to believe some kind of consensus is developing that he somehow ended the Cold War. Far from preventing World War III, his reckless provocations probably delayed the collapse of the evil empire (he was right about that idea, at least) by several years. Anyone who has spent time in the old East Bloc could plainly see that it collapsed of its own accord, that it was economically and socially unsustainable.

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Washington, D.C.: I was discussing the funeral procession last night with some friends and there was a difference of opinion I'd like your take on.

One side said that they wish the AIDS organization ACT UP had been on Constitution Ave. last night (maybe they were, but we didn't see them), protesting the fact that while millions of people got sick/died for the eight years of his presidency, Reagan offered next to no support.

The other side said that the event was his funeral procession and that politics should have been held at bay out of respect for the dead.

Your thoughts?

Marc Fisher: I'm with those who, however strong their opposition might be, decided that respect was the right path. A man is buried but once, and woe to any who would be selfish enough to turn that time to their own purposes. There are many times for protest; this is not one of them.

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.: Gawd I hate the old bromide about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, the gap was widened, etc, during the Reagan years.

Look, here's what happened:

Yes, the rich got richer.

The poor at worst stayed the same, or more probably with the ecomonic expansion, elevated themselves into middle class.

The gap widened because the rich make money exponentially. This does not mean that the poor suffered by the same exponent.

Meanwhile, BRAVO on the drive the to NoVa baseball stadium site! I've had to suffer the same drive out to Sterling under similar conditions and can promise that I'll not be going to see any games out there without taking a day off from work.

The waterfront's an underutilized section of the city. Let's hope things work out in its direction.

Marc Fisher: Thanks--we'll come back to things Reagan in a bit, but first, let me get to some of the many posts on the stadium issue. It is indeed hard to believe that the Virginia boosters can argue with a straight face that a Dulles ballpark would be any less of a pain to get to than Camden Yards is now.

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Bethesda, Md.: Marc,

The baseball column was on the money. Another big walk-up draw you didn't mention is the thousands of tourists and conference attendees who would either want to go see their team if they are in town or simply enjoy a ball game on a nice evening.

What if the D.C. team set up a kiosk at the Convention Center and offered $10 tickets and a coupon for a free beer to registered conference attendees?

Not only would these folks be unwilling to drive out to Dulles, they'd be unable to since most wouldn't have cars.

However, reading between the lines of the Virginia commission's rhetoric I think they're writing off Maryland and D.C. in general, believing this is quasi-Orioles territory and that Northern Virginia on its own can sustain a team.

Marc Fisher: Right--the Virginia baseball authority's pitch is the idea that Peter Angelos is half right, that a team in the District would suck too many fans from Baltimore, so a Virginia site that is inconvenient to fans in PG or MoCo is a positive good in their view. But of course that notion is ludicrous on its face, because the studies show that we really do act as one region in our collective attitude toward trudging up to Baltimore. The only folks who might really be torn are those in Howard and Anne Arundel counties; otherwise, Washingtonians in all three jurisdictions will largely choose a DC team, and will do so without significant harm to the Orioles.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc -- as always good column today, I agree with your sentiments BUT I think perhaps you and I view the baseball stadium issue from out D.C.-centric perspective. What about the thousands of folks who work in the Tysons/Dulles corridor who would be able to get to games much easier with a stadium off Route 28?

Marc Fisher: You're absolutely right--people who live in Loudoun and western Fairfax would find it far more convenient to get to a Dulles stadium. But that's a pretty narrow piece of geography, and a baseball team hoping to draw 30,000 fans a night needs to draw from a very wide space. And that same Dulles site is a royal pain to get to for anyone coming from more than, say, 5 miles away. Even folks in eastern Fairfax could likely get to a downtown DC ballpark faster than they could to Dulles. And Metro makes all the difference.

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Herndon, Va.: About the proposed site for the baseball stadium: I understand it is now a rock quarry. My question to those who live there: isn't it noisy from the rock blasting? Would you rather have a baseball stadium than the rock quarry?

Marc Fisher: My sense from my limited interviewing of residents closest to the site is that the quarry doesn't especially bother them, but neither would a stadium because the site is nicely buffered by highways and wouldn't really impinge on any residential area.

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Shaw, Washington, D.C.: Marc,

Agree 100 percent that most NoVa baseball stadium sites would be a disaster. But do you really think L'Enfant/Bannecker Park is the best option for a D.C. team?

Yes, a stadium would help fix an ugly corner of town, but would it really enliven the neighborhood, which is almost devoid of a residential field? I mean, you can put a stadium there, but what else? It's surrounded by either the river, highways, or government buildings. And none of those three are going anywhere -- you certainly aren't going to be able to convert a wing of the HUD buildings into an entertainment strip.

I think the best spot is north of Union Station. It's close to Metro stations and it's on the edge of downtown and residential neighborhoods. What's more, it would actually grow downtown further east and develop areas in need of some extra help. And this isn't an area that's hopelessly remote like RFK either, just a few blocks off the beaten path, so it's easier to sell as an up-and-coming area.

There are open areas next to railroad tracks, empty warehouses, and abandoned storefronts -- and unlike fed buildings, highways and bodies of water, these can conceivably be changed into stores, restaurants, condos, etc. as soon as a stadium goes in.

Marc Fisher: I agree that the ideal stadium site would have been one of those closer to downtown. I especially liked the New Jersey Avenue/Gonzaga site behind the Govt Printing Office, but it was rejected because it was too expensive and would have meant decking over I-395. Of course, that's exactly what is now planned for the Southwest site--decking over the SE/SW Expressway, at a huge cost. But I love what building that ballpark could do for the city. Take a walk over there and you'll see the potential for creating a new neighborhood with ballpark, retail and even residential, connecting the Maine Avenue waterfront and the fish market with the Mall and L'Enfant Plaza.

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Olney, Md.: Thank you, Marc, for being more blunt (or aware) about the necessity of a downtown stadium site that is Metro accessible. I live in upper Montgomery County, and while I might buy season tickets to a team that played its home games downtown (or anywhere near a Metro station, really), I doubt I'd average one game per season if the team was out in NoVa. And as you said, I am far from alone.

MLB better plan on ONLY drawing from Virginia if they put their stadium there.

Marc Fisher: Exactly right. Virginia had a terrific argument going when it was considering sites in Arlington, Crystal City or even Alexandria, because for someone like you, that's just as easy as getting to downtown Washington, if not easier. But pushing out to Dulles will turn off everyone who lives within five miles of your house.

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Annandale, Va.: By the way, I totally agree with your column today about baseball in Northern Va. The only place I would have put a stadium was in Potomac Yards, but I guess that's gone now. The stadium belongs in D.C., but D.C. is such a backwater political town that I seriously doubt the metro government can ever get it done.

Marc Fisher: Well, we'll see. I think the political will is there, and a big advantage of the Banneker site is that there are literally only about 15 townhouses that are close enough to be considered neighbors, so the opposition should be minimal.

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Washington, D.C.: Great column today -- I agree 100 percent! 3 questions: (1) Any evidence baseball recognizes the proper location (D.C. as opposed to Va.) of the stadium? (2) Any thoughts on the likelihood if (God willing) D.C. gets the team, the stadium would be the L'Enfant Plaza one? (3) Any knowledge of how the L'Enfant Plaza stadium would "overhang" 395?

Marc Fisher: Thanks) The lords of baseball have repeatedly said that they do indeed get the advantages of urban ballparks, and in recent years, they've acted reasonably consistently on that. 2) The L'Enfant site is the leading one right now, but that could easily change. 3) This would be a very expensive decking job similar to what's going to be done for the new plaza in front of the Kennedy Center. It will cost zillions and inevitably will take longer and be harder than initially announced, but from an urban planning viewpoint, it could undo a lot of the damage done when the Interstate plowed through what were once lively neighborhoods.

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Wheaton, Md.: Marc,

I have to confess, I actually 'like' the Orioles. The stadium is wonderful and the whole Oriole-Way thing is great.

But. I never make it up to games. Maybe once or twice a season if I'm lucky. In a typical season, I actually go to more games travelling than I do my "home" team.

I will never support a Northern Virginia team. Whereas a D.C. team could easily convert me.

Marc Fisher: Right--you and Olney are proof positive of the folly of the Loudoun idea.

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Arlington, Va.: I am all the way with you on the stadium issue. Just when the rest of the country has rejected the model of the far-off stadium, why should the D.C. area buy into it? If I didn't know better, I'd say that this idea is being floated to give MLB the chance to reject Washington on the grounds of an impractical stadium plan. I thought the Pentagon City plan was great, but my bloodless county council torpedoed that plan. Southwest would also be a great plan. I've always felt that it was a shame that D.C.'s waterfront is so poorly developed.

It strikes me that this might an issue where Big Jim Moran could salvage his legacy. If he is that old time city pol that he presents himself as, let's seem him knock a few heads in a smoke-filled room somewhere and get this team and stadium in D.C. -- or at least the D.C. area -- not central Virginia or Las Vegas.

Marc Fisher: Now there's an idea! Moran could thereby endear himself to his constituents, who for the most part don't want any ballpark anywhere near their houses, and to his critics in the District, who of course would fall down in honor of anyone who helped us out on this issue.

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Washington, D.C.: Marc -

If Alan Seacrest really wanted to mess with Jim Moran, he shouldn't have said anything. Unfortunately, he made an apparently baseless charge of the worst kind, which Moran's opponent, by saying that it was the kind of controversy that Moran attracts, pretty much bought into, thus making Jim Moran, of all people, a sympathetic character. Well done, all!

Marc Fisher: I doubt that Secrest's accusation of anti-Semitic remarks by Moran made the difference in this election; after all, Moran got 59 percent of the vote, so this was not an election that tipped in the final days. But I do think that Secrest should not be permitted to get away with the sleazy move of making his accusation without saying what it is that Moran supposedly said. The Post and other media were in a pickle and obviously had to report that the Moran campaign's strategist had quit in a huff, but I think it's still appropriate to press Secrest on just what it was that made him make such a searing charge.

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Del Ray, Va.: Why didn't the Post endorse Rosenberg? I was really surprised.

Marc Fisher: I'm as much in the dark as you are--the editorial board of the paper does not share its decision making process with those of us on the news side. All I know is that if you're in the business of making endorsements and suggesting to readers how they can handle their choices, you have an obligation to take a side. Saying, boy, they all stink is fine in a barroom, but shouldn't be sufficient for an editorial page. But I say that just as you might, purely as a reader.

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Arlington, Va.: Just wanted to tell you that you're the reason I subscribe to the Post.

Marc Fisher: Gosh--it's hot enough down here in the Bunker, and now my body heat's getting wildly out of control....

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Rosenberg Voter in NoVA: Marc,

As much as I am not surprised by the outcome of Tuesday's primary, I am still disappointed. Was that our one shot at throwing out our bum of a congressman?

Marc Fisher: That was it. He's in now for as long as he wants to be.

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Tysons Corner, Va.: If YOU lived in the 8th District and had to choose to vote for Jim Moran or his Republican opponent, wouldn't YOU vote for Moran? Don't duck the question by saying you'd write-in a vote, or stay home. You have to pick: Moran or a Republican. And the Republicans are usually conservatives, not moderates.
So, who would it be?

Marc Fisher: I don't know a thing about his GOP opponent, but let's be real. The way states draw the lines of congressional districts these days, they are one party or another, with virtually no in-between. The chance to unseat Moran was Tuesday; November is a cakewalk for him. I don't make endorsements, but I will tell you that my philosophy is to express my frustrations at the ballot box, without regard to how realistic my choice's chances might be.

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Rockville, Md.: 1. Dulles Stadium, no thank you And -- for those who live out there, a trip to a game downtown would be opposite most rush hour traffic.

2. Reagan Festivities -- I wholeheartedly agree with you that this is not a time to take advantage of a crowd for the purposes of protest.

I was by no means a supporter of President Reagan's policies and politics, but feel that anyone who holds the office of President of the United States should, and must, be accorded such honors as we are seeing this week. I might have gone as far as according them to former President Nixon, should his family have chosen to go that route!

Marc Fisher: But we should all be immensely grateful to the Nixon family and I suppose to Dick himself for choosing not to go the state funeral route. That would have been wholly inappropriate, just as it would be for Clinton, though I think we can all agree that there will be so such restraint on his part as he plans his final rites.

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Washington, D.C.: Hello,

Do you know what the lines of communication are surrounding evacuation of the Capitol, Senate buildings, and Supreme Court are? I ask because all of the above were ordered to evacuate yesterday, but I understand surrounding government agencies (Labor, HHS, Education) etc., were not given any notice to do so. Why are workers there not afforded the same caution/respect?

Marc Fisher: It doesn't surprise me in the least that those evacuations during yesterday's scare were haphazard--nor do I think there really ought to be a finely developed total evacuation plan. The more flexibility the authorities have to measure a crisis and act on it, the better, and we all know that any attempt at a full-scale evacuation would produce total and utter gridlock.

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Silver Spring, Md.: I've noticed the cicadas now sound more like insects and less like a space ship. I guess the numbers must be fading out now.

Marc Fisher: They're just about gone where I live. I miss their song, though not their cream all over the walkway.

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Crofton, Md.: While we remember Reagan, let us not forget: (1) the deficit; (2) ketchup is a vegetable; (3) trees cause pollution; (4) Iran-contra (selling arms to Iran (part of W's "Axis of Evil") to illegally fund rebel armies in Nicaragua); (5) Just say No to Drugs - (that worked well didn't it?); (6) the overwhelming number of homeless sleeping on D.C. sidewalks; (7) the slow response to the AIDs epidemic; (8) trickle-down theory; (9) Grenada (Wow! We beat Grenada!); and (10) voodoo economics.

Also, for all those who think Ronnie was the greatest president of the 20th Century, and should be on Mt. Rushmore, three words: Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Marc Fisher: There's a splendid list of the many, many questionable things to remember about the Reagan years on The Nation's site, by their David Corn.

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Pittsburgh, Pa.: On the lack of black faces. The black community was not a fan of Reagan's policies, and many felt he was standoffish with minorities in general.

Marc Fisher: Yes, and so that raises the question: Are the folks out at the Capitol today all or almost all Republicans? Is this primarily a partisan event, because it certainly isn't being played that way on TV.

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Washington, D.C.: This needs to be said again! All you Reaganites, please take note, because you are obviously in the catagory of "the rich", oblivious to what has been happening over the years to us "regular folks":

"But he very much was responsible for the enormous increase in the gap between rich and poor during his time in office. We can all play games with statistics while trying to prove our theories of Reagan's impact good or bad, but there's no denying the tremendous increase in inequalities that divide the haves from the have-nots in our country, and that happened primarily during the Reagan years."

Marc Fisher: Are we into the summer rerun season already?

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Alexandria, Va.: "And when Clinton cut corners and covered up on his personal life, it was done in such a cunning, lawyerly way that no one could respect it."

Yes, and it WAS his PERSONAL life. Reagan lied about public policy issues.

Marc Fisher: Good point.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Lots of liberals disliked Reagan, but relatively few thought he was evil. Many mocked him as a dunce or tut-tutted over his recklessness, but relatively few thought of him as a bad person. But there was one big exception -- African-Americans. An awful lot of black people thought of Reagan as an evil man who actively meant them ill. Why? It's not like Reagan didn't offend other liberal constituencies -- why this special vehemence?

Marc Fisher: There did seem to be a particular lack of concern on Reagan's part for blacks and especially for poor blacks. Remember, this was immediately after the Carter years, when the CETA program provided more in the way of jobs for the young poor than the government had done since FDR's time.

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Washington, D.C.: The Corporation Counsel's Office has been renamed the Office of the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, apparently because it was not getting the respect state A.G.'s offices get.

Seems to me that begs the question whether the Corp Counsel deserves any respect, regardless of its name.

Marc Fisher: This story just slipped by without getting anywhere near the ridicule it deserves. The Corp Counsel, one of the most inept and pathetic departments of the D.C. government, has engaged in the silliest bit of marketing we've seen around here in decades--change the name and maybe they'll forget how hopeless we are! But this move deflects attention from the city's need for a real prosecutor's office of its own--a real District Attorney that would care about crime in this town in a way that the out-of-towners who run the U.S. Attorney's Office never will.

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Maryland: Now you've done it, I can't stop laughing at the thought of Hillary as the "grieving widow"...

Marc Fisher: Doncha think she'll be long gone from him by that point?

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Clifton, Va.: Can't the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors or someone prevent that doddering old redneck fool Bobby Horan from wasting the taxpayers' money by trying Muhammed? Yeah, I know him personally went to high school and ran track with his son who used work for his Dad and may still. He is a good ole boy and redneck! Love nepotism! This is stupid and the only reason the old codger is doing this is his ego. Put the guy out to pasture!

Marc Fisher: It does seem like a colossal waste of money and effort, doesn't it? Exactly how many times can you kill a guy on Death Row?

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Glover Park, D.C.: Today's Post editorial about the computer systems at the D.C. schools is so depressing. Computer Failures (Post, June 10) It's another in a seemingly endless parade of revelations about a school system that is a complete and total disaster -- a den of incompetents, hacks, frauds, and the occasional thief, a place where the young minds of this city go to stagnate or worse. I lived in NYC during from the early '70's through the '80's, when crime and the general quality of life went from bad to almost unbearable, and even then the schools, taken as a whole, weren't as bad as they are here.

Marc Fisher: It's just sad to see so much money going to waste without generating nearly the level of outrage that you'd expect from the taxpayers whose pockets are being picked.

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Takoma Park, Md.: Good column today -- I say, if Virginia wants a suburban ball park, they can build it for a Triple-A team. The downtown location is the only one that makes sense for a major league team.
I also agree with the person who said that the team should not be named the Senators, since D.C. hasn't got any. I would like to propose "The Starlings" -- appropriate to the region, and it can be shortened to "the Stars." Whatcha think?

Marc Fisher: Starlings? I dunno, sounds like a name for a soccer team to me. I never got the bird names thing, though of course Cardinals is a fabulous name with a great heritage. And Orioles works too. But Blue Jays is really lame. I know I'm in the minority and destined to lose on this one, but I want our team to be the Senators.

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Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C.: Marc, great column today, but I think even discussing a Dulles ballpark lends too much credence to a ridiculous belief by our far-flung suburban friends that the "Dulles area" is the center of our region -- and I have seen Virginia baseball make this argument. First, they tried to piggyback off our city by touting a stadium with views of it on their side of the river. Now, with that gone, plan B is "downtown Dulles" -- please. We know what's in our water -- someone should investigate what they're drinking out sprawlville.

Marc Fisher: Well, there is an argument to be made that in some ways Dulles is a crucial center of the region--certainly it is for tech jobs and increasingly for air travel. But you're right, it can never be THE center because it is inaccessible by transit and because the highways were not planned with that in mind.

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Alexandria, Va.: My husband and I (a liberal) went to watch the caisson yesterday along Constitution, and where we were standing, there were many minorities -- mostly African Americans there. The entire crowd in my area was respectful as well, so it didn't appear as if any minority group was out in protest -- they were there for the same respectful reasons we were. I'm bugged by the notion that only whites were there, when that so wasn't the case, at least where I was standing.

Marc Fisher: Glad to hear it, and certainly the crowds were mostly black as the procession passed along the Suitland Parkway, but downtown, according to those who were there, it is a distinctly white crowd.

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Bethesda Accounting Pod: Saw Bill Cosby last night at Wolf Trap. His humor blows all those stand up comics you see in clubs and on Comedy Central back to Weehauken. A class act, and impeccable timing -- it was a joy to behold.

Marc Fisher: He is a comedy god--I've been introducing his early work to my kids and his classic stories about his childhood in Philadelphia are truly timeless, and amazingly for comedy these days, you can play them for kids without fear of running into a stream of cuss words.

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Washington, D.C.: Maybe Reagan seemed oblivious to the needs of minorities because he saw all Americans as just that: Americans and didn't see the need to categorize. Think about it.

Marc Fisher: Gee, I don't think most of the folks lining up at the Capitol are there because Reagan seemed oblivious to their needs.

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West Falls Church, Va.: I bet if you polled a wide cross-section of Americans on Reagan vs. Clinton on the issues of dignity, trust and admirable conduct, Reagan would win hands down. Reagan wouldn't take his coat off in the Oval Office. We all know what Clinton took off in the room right next door.

Marc Fisher: Ba-dum-bum. Good one.

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Arlington, Va.: I was opposed to Reagan's policies, but I liked the man. Seems like that was pretty common in politics those days, you could put Reagan and, say, Tip O'Neil in the same room and they could get along swimmingly, laugh and joke. Politics these days just seem a lot more personal, a lot meaner. Because it's convenient and fun to do so, I blame Hannity and Limbaugh for that.

Marc Fisher: Don't blame Rush--he just capitalized on what was already happening in Washington and around the country. It was Reagan who, despite his own polite manner and ability to remain friendly with the opposition, liberated the right to reject government's role and to adopt rhetoric that polarized our politics--a trend that has only increased since he left the scene.

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Senators: I don't think we're in the minority -- what will probably determine the team name is what the ownership thinks is marketable. I don't buy the argument that "Senators" has bad historical connotations -- most current and potential fans don't even remember them. ("Nationals" is OK, but a distant second as far as I'm concerned.)

Marc Fisher: I'm with you all the way on that.

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Not Senators: How about the Peregrine Falcons? They swoop down and eviscerate the pigeons after shaking them mercilessly. Okay, it's fun to picture. Never mind.

Marc Fisher: Crows? Piranhas?

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Annandale, Va.: Applause is inappropriate for Nancy Reagan? Someone loyal by her great husband's side for 50 years including ten suffering from that disease? Who would you have us appaud, Britney Spears?

Marc Fisher: Because applause is celebratory. The power of silence at a funeral can be emotionally shattering. So it is in a funeral procession as well.

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Springfield, Va.: HI Marc,

Sorry I am so late. I was listening to some of the commentary on Brokaw's coverage yesterday of Reagan's funeral. And one of the commentators mentioned how good Reagan was at compromising to get legislation and programs passed.(I am assuming he learned how to do that during his time as governor of California) My question is do you think that the Republicans, who have the majority, have lost the art of compromising with the other side, perhaps because of a false understanding of how really divided America is? To me it seems today's Republicans have strayed away from a lot of Reagan's principles. Thanks.

Marc Fisher: You're being too one-sided. Both sides have lost that ability; we had the chance to regain it after 9/11, but neither side made the effort to capitalize on the national unity in those weeks.

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College Park, Md.: Why is it inappropriate for Clinton to receive a state funeral? His legacy is as beloved as Reagan's, and he has been out of office far shorter. The crowd there will be much more reflective of our country's ethnic make-up than Reagan's, that's for sure.

Marc Fisher: But probably just as partisan.

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Anonymous: Let's hear it for the Front Royal Expos! Far enough from Baltimore to not worry Peter Angelos. And probably not much worse of a drive than to Dulles (further, but less traffic). Or put a stadium on a giant deck straddling the Potomac River between Loudoun and Montgomery Counties, to appease those who wish more direct access between the two. We might consider in all of this that the team coming here would stink. The novelty could wear off.

Marc Fisher: There you go--satisfy the Techway bridge proponents by decking over the Potomac with a massive structure including both a ballpark and a 16-lane superhighway.

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Rockville, Md.: How 'bout the Potomac Snakeheads?

Marc Fisher: Now you're talking--the Snakeheads, a team on which each player thinks he's uniquely essential and the only key to victory. The perfect Washington team name!

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Ashburn, Va. -- D.C. vs. NoVA Baseball: Can we get a poll of how many people in D.C. would go to games vs. NoVA folks?
How do you know tourists would go to baseball games? We'll have no Barry Bonds or Sammy Sosa's on our team. Yes, we use mass transit to get to the MCI Center because there is NO parking! You would have at least 4 walk-ups if located in Loudoun County and I would bet a lot more than my family. Give us a stadium -- with parking -- decent pricing (do I really need to spend $200 to see a baseball game) and we'll be there -- IN VA. It would take us just as long to get to D.C. to see a game as it would to go to Baltimore. Thanks for your efforts.

Marc Fisher: Right--the less parking you provide, the more people will use Metro. It's the counterintuitive but correct law of parking facilities. Don't build it, and they'll come anyway.

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NVA: I know you are talking about baseball now but I have to get this off my chest!
Why should everything that is not nailed down be named in honor or RR? An airport which I think is a slap in the fact to all air traffic controllers, a federal building and way too many other things, and now there is talk about replacing Hamilton on the $10 and renaming the Pentagon after him. PLEASE GIVE ME A BREAK! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. THE MAN WAS NOT GOD!

Marc Fisher: You ain't seen nothin' yet.

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Reagan, D.C.: Ah yes, the Gipper on every Greenback or on your dime!

I am incensed about two things: #1: the immediate drive to "Reaganize" and rename everything after the 40th pres, and #2: the description of Reagan as "A fallen President." What? He died at 93--this is not unexpected, folks!

Your column about the Gipper was great -- I found it impartial, which is a far cry from most coverage these days. Yes, and I admit it -- I voted for the Gipper, so it's not like I'm a partisan on any side.

Marc Fisher: If it has to be RR on a coin, at least make it the quarter--GW already has the $1 bill, but don't take FDR off the dime!

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Glover-Tunlaw, Washington, D.C.: It's nice for you to talk up a ballpark at Banneker Overlook, but it's as much a waste of time as your glowing reviews in previous years of stadium sites at Mount Vernon Square and Capitol North. Those two sites were killed by logistical problems that are dwarfed by the enormity of logistical issues facing a site there. Add in the fact that this site was passed over by both site evaluation studies the city did in 1999 and 2002 and that Jack Evans -- who secretly worked with Herb Miller on this project outside of any public process -- admitted in the Post that "he was inundated over the Memorial Day weekend by telephone calls and e-mails from city residents opposed to the legislation", and it's as DOA as the other schemes you've boosted.

Marc Fisher: Evans' moves on the stadium are nothing short of mystifying, but this site has real energy behind it. Still, we are years from any real decisions--a new team would play in RFK for quite some time.

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Baseball in D.C.?: Not likely. The commissioner and owners have known for years that D.C. is the best place to relocate the Expos. The fact that they haven't already decided to do so means that they obviously don't want to. They are dragging their feet, desperately hoping some other solution will magically appear.

Marc Fisher: If another solution is out there, it has a few weeks to emerge. All indications are that a real decision on where to put the Expos really will come this summer--and we all know there is only one right answer.

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Marc Fisher: That kicks things in the head for today. Thanks for coming along and apologies to those I couldn't get in. Back next week, right here. I'll have a bonus column in the paper over the weekend, and back in the usual place Tuesday and Thursday, and here with you then too. Stay cool.

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