“Lester,” I say, “do you know why I never talk about that? What happened to me in Iraq?” “I don’t,” he says. “Modesty, I suppose.” I shake my head. “No one in this town is modest. No, the reason I don’t talk about that is that some things are more important than politics. Most rank-and-file congressmen never need to learn that lesson. But in order for the government to function, and for the good of the country, the Speaker of the House does. The sooner the better.”
