I HAD FRIENDS visiting from out of town last weekend and I gave them the grand tour of D.C. I showed them RFK stadium, St. Matthew’s Cathedral, and the Mall. And as we drove past the Capitol I paused, as I always do when I look up at the rotunda these days, and said a small prayer of thanks to the heroes of Flight 93.

Of course you remember Flight 93, the 757 bound for San Francisco that terrorists hijacked on September 11. It was coming toward Washington that morning and in my heart of hearts I feel certain it was meant for our Capitol. I can’t imagine what the city would be like today if they had succeeded. The hit to the Pentagon was awful and nearly unbearable, but the Pentagon is largely hidden from view. Not the Capitol. It stands high and proud and can be seen from miles away. More than any other building in America, more than the White House, even, it is the symbol of our democratic experiment. Its destruction could have been a knock-out punch.