This afternoon, the stars aligned, things went better than expected and there was a room full of people smiling and clapping at the end of the day.

The bill (HR 5388) to give the District of Columbia a voting representative in the House passed by an overwhelming 29-4 vote in the Government Reform Committee.  Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), chair of the committee, has led the effort and recently came together with Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton to make some changes to the original bill, leading to today's triumph.

Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) - remember him from the Clinton years - announced his opposition to the bill, then went into the committee's back room to meet with former Rep. Jack Kemp -- Burton returned and announced he was changing his vote!  It was one of those dramatic, uplifting moments that makes you believe that their is hope in Congress.

Next step - the Judiciary Commitee.  A tough move, but today's vote is a huge step forward.