The flight from Washington

Posted by William Neikirk at 3:30 p.m. CDT

Washington's status as the center of government suddenly appears to be in a state of flux. The president has decided to hold press conferences in other cities, beginning with Chicago. And he is on the road a lot these days. Members of Congress are spending as much time in their home districts as they are on Capitol Hill. They're now in a 4th of July recess, even though the fireworks stopped last Tuesday. Independence Day has become almost an Independence Fortnight for lawmakers.

The Supreme Court is in recess until October. Vice President Cheney in the past seemed to be hiding in n a secret, undisclosed location, but today he's making a speech in Norfolk, Va., and on Monday he will be making another in Michigan. We'll all see more of the Veep this year.

Members of the Cabinet are traveling all the time, too. For example, today Energy Secretary Sam Bodman is in Colorado to dedicate a new renewable fuels facility. Labor Secretary Elaine Chao will make a speech in California on Tuesday. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is on the road much of the time, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is apt to appear in Baghdad at a moment's notice. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt are back from recent foreign trips--Gutierrez to Brazil and Leavitt to Panama. The vice president of the Federal Reserve, Donald Kohn, made a speech in London today.

The Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia will attract a large contingent of White House and administration officials, not to mention the president, in the middle of the month.

Our national leaders have to get out of town, of course, to visit the hinterlands and negotiate with foreign leaders. But it seems that they are having a hard time staying put in Washington. Could it be that there is not much action here these days? The White House doesn't have a strong agenda this year, and Congress has punted on most major issues--notably immigration.

In Chicago, Bush got some tough questions from local reporters on the war and other issues. State capitals have become more active. Gay marriage bans were upheld in New York and Georgia. This year, Massachusetts passed a health insurance law and boosted the minimum wage.

Here in D.C., it appears everyone is eager to get out of town to hit the campaign trail, and perhaps to reacquaint themselves with real people. It is good to see the power, in some small measure, shift back to the states and cities. The federal government seems locked in partisanship and gridlock--and less relevant to ordinary people.

To be sure, the bureaucrats are still intact, although you can be certain when it turns 5 p.m., they're out of here.