Jim's Father very kindly arranged a trip round the White House and The Capitol through the office of his Senator, Richard Burr, who met us at the entrance to the White House & escorted us past the waiting queues. (Very nice & good for our ego, but you couldn't help thinking he had better things to do with his time. Mind you it lets him meet 'the troops') 

In the white house no cameras, or anything short of your wallet was allowed in, so the trip can best be described as memorable, short & full of rooms with strong colour>>all in good nick. George W did not put in appearance, as he probably didn't want to hear my views on current US foreign policy.

We met  Richard Burr's tour organiser, Courtney Merritt, in his offices who gave the four of us a great personalised tour around the Capitol. To get to the Capitol building itself we had the pleasure of using the underground train system which links all the government buildings on the 'Hill'. The  tour was very good and gave you the little bits of detail that make these visits so worth while. Like the very heavy doors that couldn't be used because of their weight, the paintings of the astronauts in the ornate ceilings and where John Quincy Adams appeared to be falling asleep at his desk, but had actually found a spot where it transmitted sound from the other side of the room. >>>Splendid stuff.

Leaving the senators office we visited the senate floor, once again all cameras & electronics were banned. It was a place where not a lot appears to be happening, as most of the work goes on in committee. Also speeches are relayed via TV to all the senator's offices , so you end up with just the speakers present unless it is a big occasion.

The debate going on was getting support & finance for the victims of hurricane Katrina. You were left wondering about all the different forms of democracy. The UK are left with a system that is getting far to central & seems to be running out of the checks & balances that are required for healthy government. The US system is designed to give those checks and balances, but seems incapable of quick action on some occasions.

However we should not worry,  'W' has his Warrant Officer near him at all times, for speedy action on the nuclear 'button' any time he wants.