One Nation Under Siege: Congress, Terrorism, and the Fate of American Democracy

Acknowledgments

acknowledgMents I cannot believe this journey has come to an end. Every moment I spent working on this project was captivating and enlightening. I am so blessed to study something I enjoy and to write on subjects that continue to excite my intellectual curiosity. My life has been so full, and I owe so many for making it so. First, I offer my sincere gratitude to the practitioners who contributed to my understanding of legislative life on Capitol Hill. The American Political Science Association’s Congressional Fellowship Program offered the invaluable opportunity to watch and record congressional politics firsthand. Without this once-in-a-lifetime experience, I never would have “been at the right place at the right time” and this book never would have been written. I also am hugely indebted to the staff of the particular office that hosted me during my fellowship year on the Hill. This affiliation provided me with access to members, personal staff, committee staff, lobbyists, administrative personnel, and others. Through these connections, I established a network of contacts that served me well upon my return to conduct elite interviews in the summers of 2005 and 2006. All of those who welcomed me into their offices and spent precious time entertaining my naive questions also deserve my thanks and the thanks of our profession. Political science depends on the willingness and openness of public servants to share their experiences so that we can truly understand what it is that we study. The comments shared with me by these individuals brought life on the Hill alive and enriched the text beyond any analysis I could provide. They say “A picture is worth a thousand words.” In the study of Congress , it may be said that “An interview is worth a thousand data sets.” xvi Acknowledgments Thank you all for sharing your memories with me. I only hope that I have recounted your reflections in a way that captures their essence and maintains their integrity. Beyond the congressional support for this project, I must also recognize the institutional support I received to complete this study. I owe a debt of gratitude to the faculty and staff in the Department of Government at the University of West Florida for providing the funding and research support, the intellectual sounding boards, and the great dose of patience necessary to complete this project. My special thanks go to Alfred Cuzán, Michelle Hale Williams, David Alvis, and Jongseok Woo for listening to me go on and on about terrorism and the Hill. I hope that this product was worth all of the talk. The University of West Florida also provided me with two Creative and Scholarly Activities Grants that subsidized travel to the field site in 2005 and 2006 and funded two teams of research assistants to accompany me in collecting interview data. The experience enjoyed by these students was priceless, and UWF deserves much credit for prioritizing education even when it takes students outside of the classroom. I would be remiss if I did not directly thank each and every student who assisted me in this project. This book has been a work in progress for several years. Generations of students have contributed to its culmination. In chronological order, they include: Olivia Lagergren, Stephen and Teresa Stanquist, Patrick Cabeza, Ryan Smallen, Alexis Trout, Danielle Manjikian, Ryan Cunningham, Maureen Yann, Sarah Sanders, Bryan Waters, and Zachary Hensley. Thank you all. I finally finished it! I would also like to take a few lines to recognize the mentorship that I received at Berry College and the University of Oklahoma. Peter Lawler at Berry College continues to guide me in my professional development. He has encouraged me for more than a decade, and I would not be where I am today without his influence. In terms of this project, I would like to thank him for the insightful comments he has provided in reviewing successive drafts. He first introduced me to the big questions of politics and philosophy, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to find answers. I thank him tremendously for that. Several faculty members at the University of Oklahoma have also shaped my career in remarkable ways. My deepest gratitude belongs to the faculty and staff of the Carl Albert Center and Department of Political Science for shepherding me through graduate school, conference activity, Acknowledgments xvii classroom instruction, the job market, and professional development...