Initially, I thought to join others who will analyze every minute detail of Tuesday’s election: What should Washingtonians expect in the era of Mayor Adrian Fenty? How will he respond to estimates that the District may enter fiscal 2008 with a $200 million gap between spending and revenues? (I’m a pig in slop when it comes to this kind of stuff.)

But, on the road to this post-election column, I met about 20 girls at the Hyde Leadership Academy in Northeast — one of the city’s best charter schools. They touched me deeply and reminded me of the lens through which we should evaluate government, politics and politicians.

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