The Weekly Overture

The week began on Monday with a tweet of mild concern A subcommittee meeting where we all were meant to learn A bill was introduced, a talking point was neatly spun We thought, 'Perhaps this is the week where something real gets done!' The lights came up, the stage was set, we all knew our positions Forgetting that the plot is prone to frantic revisions Oh, what a show! What a scene! What a script we've been handed! Did the writers all quit? Are the stagehands all stranded? The drama builds, the tension mounts, the logic's been disbanded!

It's Friday night in Washington, and nothing's how we planned it! By Wednesday, cable news was screaming in a shade of red and blue A 'source familiar with the thinking' had a different point of view A gaffe went viral, then a spokesperson tried to walk it back While somewhere in a hearing room, the truth fell through a crack The understudy took the lead to thunderous applause For simply disregarding all the fundamental laws Oh, what a show! What a scene! What a script we've been handed! Did the writers all quit? Are the stagehands all stranded?

The drama builds, the tension mounts, the logic's been disbanded! It's Friday night in Washington, and nothing's how we planned it! There's a filibuster threat! A poll that's sinking fast! A soundbite from a rally that was never meant to last! A leaked report! A closed-door fight! A vote along party lines! Are these the heroes? Are these the villains? We can't make out the signs! And the prompter's just gone dark... we're completely off the page... OH, WHAT A SHOW! WHAT A SCENE! WHAT A SCRIPT WE'VE BEEN HANDED! DID THE WRITERS ALL QUIT? ARE THE STAGEHANDS ALL STRANDED?

THE CURTAIN FALLS, WE TAKE OUR BOWS, COMPLETELY empty-handed! It's Friday night in Washington... see you next week, if you can stand it!