I would say mission accomplished, but given the now risible connotations of that phrase, I will just say we did what we set out to do and then some. In the process, we also learned that health care and mental health issues in particular, are a priority concern of one GOP member with whom the RAC will now be working on such issues. And we had an opportunity to discuss immigration, energy self-sufficiency and other issues, and hear members' views on Iraq and the Administration's expected escalation proposal. Perhaps most interesting were our meetings with the new House members who had in common their energy, enthusiasm and belief that they could approach issues on a bipartisan basis at least with their fellow newcomers not yet scarred by Washington's battles. Of interest as well, we met with Rep. Keith Ellison whose dignity and calm affirmation of our Constitutional values during the past few weeks when use of the Koran at his installation ceremony came under attack have been impressive. I was pleased to be able to thank him for the example he set.

It was a productive and exciting day, which, all the more remarkably, ran very smoothly despite the fact that our extraordinary RAC staff had less than 100 hours to put it together. Kudos to them and thanks to those who joined on this mission at considerable personal inconvenience and were such effective and strong representatives. They included Rosanne Selfon and Lynn Magid Lazar for WRJ, Aaron Bloom and Doug Barden for the NFTB, Rabbi Fred Reiner, who joined us in the morning, for the CCAR, Cheryl Gutmann, Honey Heller and  Peter Weidhorn for the CSA and Union lay leadership, Rabbi Scott Sperling wearing both Union and CCAR hats and, of course, Rabbi David Saperstein, Mark Pelavin, Barbara Weinstein and Rachel Slomovitz for the RAC.

One other note, for part of the day we were followed by a television crew from PBS's Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. The JTA story came out of a press briefing David and I did during the day.