George Packer (Togo 1982-83) Tells It Like It Is!

George Packer (Togo 1982-83) has a long and fascinating profile piece entitled, “Washington Man” in the October 29 & November 5, 2012 issue of The New Yorker. The profile is on Jeff Connaughton who came to Washington from Alabama in 1994 and was swept up into the political cycle, where, as George writes, he went “from public servant to rich lobbyist.”

At the end of his “political career, (and near the end of his article,) Packer writes: “Outside, he [Connaughton] stood at the corner of Nassau and Wall Streets, exhilarated. He had just blown himself up in the heart of American finance. He would never again be a member of the permanent class. Connaughton’s Senate job ended in the middle of the month. He flew to Costa Rica and went on an eight-hour hike. When he returned to his hotel room, he took a long shower, letting the water soak him and soak him until he felt clean.”

It is a great article and all too true. You should read it on this our election day!