Today, the political class celebrates the long career of John Dingell. As of Friday nobody, not even Robert Byrd, will have served longer in either body of Congress. As the media fashions this story, we are expected not only to marvel but to feel gratitude. Whatta guy. Great public servant. Been doing it since Ike was president and a postage stamp cost three cents.

The buried assumption in all these stories about old war-horse members of congress – to include all the gooey stuff about the late Senator Frank Lautenberg, published upon his death earlier this week – is that these guys (they seem, always, to be guys) know how things work, can get things done, understand Washington … and so forth.