Bob Levey (Barbara Tyroler)

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Levey Live: Speaking Freely
Washington Post Columnist
Friday, Oct. 5, 2001; 1 p.m. EDT

"Levey Live: Speaking Freely," hosted by Washington Post columnist Bob Levey, appears every Friday. It is a live, open-agenda discussion offering washingtonpost.com users around the world the opportunity to ask questions and discuss topics of their choice with Bob.

Fearless Bob takes your questions about virtually everything, from sports and politics (there's a difference?) to world events, Metro area traffic and issues raised in Bob's columns.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Bob Levey: Hi, all, and thanks for hopping aboard today. I have to admit I'm a bit down, because Mike Mansfield is dead.
I've never met (or covered) a more impressive public servant. As soon as we're done this afternoon, please be sure to read Bart Barnes's excellent obituary of Mansfield, on washingtonpost.com. Why don't we grow 'em like Mike any more? Has Capitol Hill become a land of pygmies? I'm afraid I know the answer...
Anyway, as always, any and all questions and any and all topics are fair game. Let's get gaming....

Madison, Wis.: Hello Bob. I won't be able to join you today but I have a question that has been troubling me ever since September 11 and have not seen addressed. This regards the EgyptAir plane that went down (in 1999?) over the Atlantic after taking off from the U.S. The last I had heard, it went down as a result of a "suicide" by one of the pilots. Has this ever been linked to terrorism or was this concluded to be simply the act of a single individual? Thanks much.

Bob Levey: It was pretty conclusively shown to have been an act of madness on the part of the one co-pilot. No connection to terrorism.
But EgyptAir has never accepted this verdict, no doubt because it fears huge damage to its business. That damage happened anyway, of course

Silver Spring Md.: Bob, last week I related our dilemma with our Oct. 26 flight from Reagan National to Ft. Lauderdale - we all know it won't be flying but the airline refuses to acknowledge it. Some follow up that might interest you. US Airways lists that flight as operating next Friday, Oct. 12, but clearly it is not. US Airways refuses to refund our money for the flight. The FAA tells me all news media is reporting the reopening of Reagan National incorrectly, that airlines could fly anywhere they wanted as of today - they just chose to fly the limited flights, and will be flying everything soon. This is even after I read to her from yesterday's Post, indicating that only 25% of the flights are operating now and only 55% will be operating any time soon and those only to hub airports (which is not Ft Lauderdale). What is going on?

Bob Levey: US Airways (and every other carrier) is scrambling to get things going at reagan National again. It's very hard to know which flights will go and which won't. I don't think you can assume that an Oct. 12 flight won't go. You'll have to keep checking.
As for the refusal to refund tickets that are already paid for--or the policy of blasting you for a $100 change fee when the change isn't your fault--here's what I say:
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
Here's what else I say:
This will surely cause an epidemic of small claims lawsuits, not to mention an earthslide of bad p.r. for the airlines.

Fairfax County: Hello Bob. How has the car search gone so far? Might I direct you to the online discussion archives of your colleage Warren Brown? For $8,000-$10,000, you can get a 95-99 (depending on model) Ford Taurus, Chevy Malibu, Toyota Camry (another Eggie?), Honda Accord, Dodge Intrepid, Nissan Maxima, Mazda 626, VW Jetta or Mitsubishi Galant. The Taurus does better in the crash tests; the 626 is vastly underrated in the shadow of the overrated Accord, and all of these cars are four-door family sedans. THough I must say I find your quest for a new car a bit hypocritical, given your schoolgirl cheerleading for mass transit and your penchant for criticizing others who favor personal automotive transportation.

Bob Levey: My "schoolgirling" on behalf of public transit, as you so lovingly call it, applies mostly to commuting. I never said I don't use a car on weekends, or (gasp) own one.
The response by the readership to this column has been all over the place. Greatest hunks of votes have come for another Camry, Honda and Taurus. Full details coming in a column the week after next.

Arlington, Va.: In yesterday's column, why didn't the shoe store pick up the credit card charges? Their employee stole the card. And if the police caught the clerk and his sister, why did not they have to pay?

Bob Levey: The store was too cheap to do it. And the judge did not order the clerk and her sister to make restitution of the $50. No law requires this, by the way. Yet another example of how victims of crime have very little recourse.

Arlington: Bob,

When I think "back to normalcy", I think of Bob Levey. No one captures Washingtonians' day-to-day concerns like you do.

On that note, I wonder what you think about the latest sillyness on the National Mall.

I see that the Park Service has once again cordoned off much of the Mall green space to human beings. I believe this is part of an attempt to "save the grass" which has deteriorated. However, most of the bare spots came not from people, but from the BUILDINGS they allow to be constructed there during the Festival of American folklife. Those bare spots have not been re-soded, by the way. (Some are 2-3 years old!)

Any chance of getting the Park Service to open the Mall to PEOPLE, and require the buldings to re-sod after they leave, instead?

Bob Levey: I freely predict success. The Park Service replants along the Mall each October. When November follows October (sounds like a Hoagy Carmichael song....), you'll get your wish.

Arlington, Va.: Bob, if you see your colleague Tom Shales today, please give him a "well done" for his article on the West Wing today. In an attempt to summerize that pitiful program Wednesday night, he nailed it.

Bob Levey: I'll do it. Ain't Shales a national treasure? My only regret is that Kathie Lee no longer does her annual Christmas program. Shales would eviscerate her year after year, in utterly hilarious fashion.

Albany, NY: Bob! Why would you insult the pygmies like that!

Bob Levey: Sorry, Trent.

Woodbridge, Va.: Could you please comment on a fund-raising technique that really bugs me? Since the Sept. 11 disaster, I have seen a lot of school kids (and some firemen, but it especially bothers me when its kids) begging in the streets on behalf of the Red Cross or whatever.
They stand at busy intersections in my suburban neighborhood with a bucket. I hate to send the message that begging on street corners is noble or patriotic, even if the cause is good. And I know its only a matter of time before one of those youngsters is mowed down by someone speeding to catch the light while its yellow. Why do we endanger our children this way? Do charities endorse this sort of fund-raising? And whatever happened to car washes and bake sales?

Bob Levey: It's all the result of the great national surge of wanting to do somthing in the wake of Sept. 11. To that extent, I think it's great. I LOVE it that kids are getting out from in front of the TV set and doing something to help. But I have two concerns: 1) the safety issue you raise--where are the adults to protect these little ones--and 2) the possibility that not all the donated dough is going to the families. I can't prove that, and I hope I never am able to. But I have a hunch.....

Friend of 12th Floor Metro Center: Bob --

When, oh when, are they going to put more six-car trains on the Green Line from Branch Avenue? I was stuck again on a four-car train and after the second stop, the cars were packed. I mean tighter than a can of sardines. I see plenty of six-car trains on the other lines and they are practically empty. Metro needs to stop treating those of us from Southern Maryland as "red-headed step children".

Bob Levey: None of this is news to the Metroids. They expected delivery of many, many new cars in July, and they were going to earmark most for the Green Line.
Problem: the cars didn't meet specifications. They had to be sent back to the factory for modifications.
When will all be well? I wish I could tell you. It may not be for a while.

Capitol Hill Phil: Howdy Bob.
I'm generally not much of a "worrier", but todays headlines have really creeped me out. So...further terrorist attacks here are almost a sure bet. Any advice on how to keep with routine knowing that there IS a Bogeyman and the he WILL eventually jump out of that closet.

Bob Levey: Mind over matter. Just keep trucking. If you let them change your life, then they will have changed your life. I am too damned defiant to let them do that.

Cathlamet, Wash.:

Just great. According to a Post story, the Taliban is kidnapping civilains to force them to the front lines when the ground troops come in so if any of them die, they can say, "Look at the "evil" U.S. killing civilains!" (I'm paraphrasing.)

The Taliban is indeed a bunch of ruthless thugs acting under the guise of religion. I don't see anywhere in the Qu'Ran where it says it's okay to kidnap civilians.

Unfortunately, I've also seen there are STILL some attacks against Arab Americans. President Bush needs to hold another televison conference and point out that people of Arabian descent are also HELPING us such as the Northern Alliance, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. If they see Americans treating Arab Americans poorly, they may get offended and withdraw their help. President Bush needs to point that out. I'm sorry to be so long-winded.

Bob Levey: Bush has been excellent on the subject of Arab-Americans. I agree that he needs to keep hitting this. Here's hoping he reads this and will!
As for the Taliban, and that maneuver with civilians, please don't forget (and don't be surprised by the fact) that this is a war of public relations, not just of armies. It "plays" real well in certain countries for the U.S. to be "positioned" as the Great Satan. This doesn't mean that every Arab is about to hijack a plane and murder 6,000 people. But it does mean that the U.S. does not have a whole lot of ground-level support in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Washington, D.C.: Bob,

I have been curious about this for a while. I know you strongly express your desire to appear nonpartison in your role as a journalist, but I question how you are portrayed on the WTOP webstite (commentary section). You are presented on the LEFT side of the page with your picture framed in BLUE, while Cal Thomas is on the RIGHT with his piscture framed in RED. This (to my eye) seems to suggest you are comming for the left of the political persuasion, since Cal definitely respresents the right. What do you think?

Bob Levey: Let me stop laughing first.....
I'm sure this was inadvertent. But if you want the word from the mouth of the horse, you'll have to contact Steve Dolge, who runs the WTOP Web site.
Alas, I have to tell you (if you didn't see it in Frank Ahrens's column on Tuesday) that my days at WTOP are done. I was laid off 8 days ago. Economic reasons.
Cal Thomas will continue to do his commentaries there, I'm told. So maybe the conservatives have won??????

Laurel, Md.: Wow, the Redskins might be worse than the Orioles!

With a championship team playing 35 miles up the road, do you think the day's coming soon when the Skins might actually have available tickets?

Bob Levey: Very soon. In fact, it's already happeneing.
Some bulletin boards are offering tix to dog games like Arizona for less than face value.
If the Skins keep playing as they have been, you can bet on more of same....

HalloweenTown: My favorite part of the year, Halloween, is coming up. You don't strike me as a Halloween sort of guy. But, I came up with a great costume idea for you.

You could be "Public Transportation Man" -- the superhero campaigning for public transportation systems everywhere. By day, he is a mild mannered journalist. But when trouble strikes -- he is Public Transportation Man! You could just wear your regular clothes, with the shirt partially unbuttoned, but underneath have a brown bodysuit with a big "M" on the chest. "To the Metro Station, Sluglineboy, a commuter is in trouble! It is our arch-nemisis, Yuppie SUV!" POW! BIFF! BAM!

High pitched female voice: "Oh, thank you Public Transportation Man. You saaaaaaved me!"

Public Transportation Man: "Yes, hapless commuter. There is no need to tackle the Beltway every day. With Metro, Metro buses, Marc, VRE, van pools, car pools, and slug lines, the options are limitless. And now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

Bob Levey: Thanks, but I've already made plans to go as Trent Lott. I'll just keep chanting over and over: "I believe in bailing out the airlines, but not the people who used to work for them. Trick or treat!"

Arlington, Va.: Again, on the girl whose credit card was effectively stolen, did the clerk and her sister get anything beyond a slap on the wrist?

Bob Levey: Suspended sentences, both.

Baseball-less in D.C.: Cal's retiring. O's haven't be competitive for most years. D'Angelos is an #!#!-$-

When will DC gets its much deserved baseball team? The Expos are drawing less than 5000 people per game and want Montreal to build them a new stadium. IS MLB so intellectually challenged as not to allow the Expos to move to DC?

Bob Levey: Dan Knise, my "Levey Live" guest on Tuesday, told me that he expects an expansion team in Northern Virginia (although he didn't say when).
Dan oughta know. He's the mogul in charge of trying to woo the 2012 Olympic Games here

Metro Media Relations Office: You'll be pleased to know that we are well aware of the crowding problems on the Green Line and will have a partial solution in place by Tuesday morning. We will have 11 six-car trains (and six four-car trains) on the Green Line during morning and afternoon rush hours. We had been running eight six-car trains and we know that is not nearly enough. Before the end of this calendar year, all 17 trains on the Green Line will be six-car trains during our a.m. and p.m. rush hours. We hear you, and we're trying to get longer trains to you as quick as we can.

Bob Levey: Thanks, gang.
In the meantime (here comes Bob Levey in that Halloween costume....), PLEASE don't stand in the doorways. If you move to the center of the car, you'll be amazed at how many more people can get aboard.
By the way, I'm sure that people camp in the doorways because they're afraid they'll miss their stops if they don't. Nonsense. I have NEVER seen it happen--especially if you call out, "Getting off," as you pick your way through the hordes.

Arlington, Va.: Bob, do you have any idea why the downtown restaurants are all in trouble lately? I can understand that many draw from the out-of-town expense account crowd but many draw mainly the natives. Have we been so stressed that we'd rather stay home?

I'm happy that the president and the mayor dined in the heart of downtown. That's a good example!

Bob Levey: First, not all are in trouble. Many were doing only 80 percent of their usuals before Sept. 11--and they still are.
Second, it's all emotional. People don't feel like kicking up their heels (and picking up their forks) when there's such a black mood everywhere. Don't forget that going out to eat is an act of the spirit. And if the spirit is ailing......

Alexandria, Va.: No more Bobster on WTOP?! One more reason to quit listening I say. I swear it's getting impossible to tell the adverisments from the news over there with reporters touting their new Cadillacs and hyping their sponsers as part of their stories. And when they do do the news all they are doing is reading that morning's Post or Times. Why bother?

Bob Levey: Bobster is as sorry as you are. I loved working there (and did it for 4.5 years).
Don't be so tough on WTOP's journalism. I actually think (and thought) it's quite good, given that all-news radio is essentially a headline service.
Don't try to compare that station (or any all-newser) to the Post or the New York Times. It isn't trying to be anything close.

Washington, D.C.: Do you think we could get Tony Blair to run for President of the US? I am I the only one who think he rocks?

It's like Bill Clinton with out all the slimy personal problems.

Draft Tony Blair!!!

Bob Levey: Las Vegas says that Blair vs. Rudy would be pick-em....
Seriously, why did Blair announce that we had the goods on bin Laden, and not Bush? Was this a fluff, or a piece of deliberate p.r. strategy, designed to array the world against the Bad Guys?
I vote for the latter. I think Bush is acutely aware of the dangers (political and otherwise) of going it alone.

Herndon, Va.: Bob,

Here's a plug that was mentioned on a chat earlier this week. Show your support for the D.C. area and patronize a restaurant, visit a museum, or buy something from Reagan National's gift shops. It doesn't cost a lot of money and the friendly faces would be more than welcome. Also, with the free Metro fares next weekend, you can go next weekend too!

Bob Levey: Many will do this. Many others should. Come on, gang. Out of those cocoons......

As for baseball in D.C.: I will believe it when I see it. However, if you want baseball in DC, please don't go to the Orioles games. It just gives Angelos the ammunition to say that so much of his business is from DC they can't possibly have their own team.

Bob Levey: In fact, common sense has finally arrived at Camden Yards. Crowds of less than 20,000 have been commonplace since Labor Day, when it was clear that the Orioles starting lineup of 7 minor leaguers, Cal and Conine wouldn't be competitive.

Washington, D.C.: Bob, where are the gentlemen in DC? When I board the Metro train during the morning or afternoon rush hour, I don't see men giving up seats to women and the ederly. What I do see are men rushing seats before a woman gets there. Those men who are seated, "ignore" passengers by smothering themselves in their newspapers or books to "distract" themselves from seeing all of the women (elderly and pregnant, and otherwise) standing up. This is a very sad sight. Why can't men just board a train and simply stand up? What do you think about that?

Bob Levey: I think a) that chivalry is dead and b) that it can be brought back to life very easily if you will just call out, "PLEASE give your seat to someone who needs it."

Oakton, Va.: Hi Bob,

I'm submitting early because I just read your article regarding the finger gesture. I've wanted to submit this comment for some time, but never have. I like your suggestion about using the finger roll so folks won't get it mixed up with the middle finger. Unfortunately around here you're lucky to get any gesture at all. I've found that if I let a person over, very seldom will I get a thank you, which I find very rude. It makes me angry to the point that I don't want to let anyone over ever again. How hard is it for people to throw up a hand (or use the finger roll) just to say thanks for someone being kind enough to let a person over. Hopefully after your column, people will be more polite.

Bob Levey: That was the idea. Let's hope. Thanks for the kind words

Bowie: Maybe a stupid question...

Do Metro trains have to have an even number of cars (4 or 6). Can't they have five?

Bob Levey: Not stupid at all.....
I answered this last week, too. I don't know all the details, but it's something about how cars "pair" in the system. Therefore, trains always must carry an even number of cars.

Alexandria, Va.: Hi, Bob,
Do building construction companies that tie up sidewalks and street lanes pay someone (the city government?) for the priviledge of inconveniencing pedestrians and drivers in DC? I work near Chinatown and at onetime could get a lot of distance for my noontime walking. I noticed this week that a lane of 7th street around the H Street metro has been fenced off (along with the sidewalk). In the last 6 months or so, that means 5th, 6th, 7th, G, and 9th Streets all blocked for weeks or more. Hasn't always been like this, what changed?

Bob Levey: No fee asked or given, because the construction companies receive permission from the city government to block lanes. Why does the city do this? Because it's eager for more and bigger buildings, which produce more and bigger tax revenues. I know it's very inconvenient to lose a lane for months at a time. But there's really little choice. And if the city taxed such closings, how many developers would take their acts to the burbs? Too many, I fear

Rosslyn, Va.: Not to beat a dead horse (Kathie Lee Gifford), I tried to find some of Tom Shale's old articles about her X-mas specials in the Post archives but couldn't come up with any. Can you help?

Bob Levey: No, because the archives don't go back far enough. I think our journalism is available to the public for only a month or so. Mericfully, Kathie Lee has been off TV for longer.

Washington, D.C.: Well, if Bush has become aware of the dangers of "going it alone," good for him! Maybe the lesson will sink in with respect to other things.
Unfortunately, Tony Blair can't run for President. Unless we eliminate that "native-born citizen" clause, which I for one wouldn't mind doing...

Bob Levey: Then McCartney could run (and win, I'd bet)...

Washington, D.C.: As for the suggestion to buy something in the National gift shops, can a non-ticket holding passenger even get in to the airport now?

Bob Levey: Yes, to the concourses where some of the shops and restaurants are. No to the areas beyond the metal-detectors.

Herndon, Va.: Mr. L: Am I the only one who thinks some portion of US citizens have gone out of their minds? Gas masks? Stocking up on antibiotics? The topper was a gentleman I overheard telling someone he didn't dare fly, so he was driving his family to Chicago for a family reunion. Any statistican could tell him the drive would be much more dangerous than the flight. (I venture to guess that even if there were several successful suicide hijackings a year, flying would still be safer than driving) Logic has flown out the window.

Bob Levey: Are you surprised? Sept. 11 was designed to sow panic, and it's succeeding (to some degree).
A tougher question: Why did Time and Newsweek put gas masks on the cover this week, when so few Americans are buying and using them? I would have chosen a cover that showed American military shipping out, or Americans living the way they always have, despite the threat.

Baltimore, Md.: Greetings, Bob!

I am relieved to hear the the House plans to put a time limit on Ashcroft's ability to read our e-mails, tap our phones, and hold people without reason. During the Civil War, almost all of Baltimore's leaders were tossed in jail because they disagreed with the way things were going. It was convenient to simply lock them up for having an opposing point of view. Don't you think that the freedom we are fighting for now seems to be the right to wave a flag and be united behind whatever our leaders decide is best for us? Speech and assembly seem really low on the list.

Bob Levey: This is one of the great benefits of the two-party system. As soon as the administration began to lay its fingers on civil liberties, there were loud and respected voices saying, "Now, just a minute...."

Arlington, Va.: I relish the opportunity to speak freely.

With the news today of the passing of Ambassador Mansfield, I have to ask how long we are supposed to endure the farce of Strom Thurmond as a Senator. I couldn't help noticing in the obit that they were born in the same year, but Mansfield had the dignitiy to retire 25 years ago!!!

I know the people of SC have the right to choose their congressional representatives, including the right to have done so unwisely. But with all the talk you hear about the competitive workplace, and longtime employees being laid off by companies right and left, it burns me up to see this fossil being celebrated as some kind of icon. Did you see that he was able to foist his unemployed son on his constituents as the US Attorney for SC?

He should be an embarrassment to the GOP, as he represents everything that the Republican revolution was supposed to be about.

Bob Levey: Strom has been a guffaw-line for years now. But if the voters in South Carolina keep returning him.........
At least he has said he won't stand for re-election.

Arlington, Va.: Bob, I'm sorry, but that Olympics guy was a nut. He kept saying that they would rely on public transportation for the Olympic masses. The Metro is so crowded all the time. I envision it like the nightmare that is cherry blossom time every year, only 10 times worse. And we both know that Metro will never be able to add that kind of capacity between now and 2012 (unfortunately).

Bob Levey: Wrong. That's exactly how capacity WILL be added. When you take in $5.3 billion (from nations, sponsors and individuals), you can add a whole lot of Metro capacity. One of the great benefits of hosting the Olympics is that infrastructure improvements and stadia remain, long after the athletes and media have gone home.

Re: Metro Chivalry: I, a male, do offer my seat to pregnant women and the elderly. However, I see no reason to do so for the young, able-bodied women who claim they can do anything men can in the workplace, on the sports field, and elsewhere. They are capable of standing on the Metro, too. I'm a liberated male!

Bob Levey: Would you really deny a seat to a young woman who tells you that she injured her leg last week? Chivalry isn't just for grandmas. It's for anyone who needs it. Old and infirm guys, too (funny how I identify with them more and more....)

Washington, D.C.: Chivalry ain't entirely dead -- yesterday morning I saw a man get up and offer his seat to an elderly man with a cane. He declined but clearly appreciated the offer.

As for standing in the doorway, I'll cop to that. But I do it only on my commute home, and only if I'm the last one through the door and only because doors don't open on that side before my stop.

Bob Levey: Then why don't you at least get off the train to let the hordes escape, and then get back on?
You will NEVER be left on the platform, I promise you.
Average time between the first "bing-bong" and the actual closing of the doors: four seconds. Surely you're spry enough to scramble back aboard in that much time.

Plano, Tex.: The saddest thing about the attacks on people that look like the preceived ethic groups the highjackers came from, is in most of the most serious attacks, the victims were from utterly different groups. Shouldn't there be more efforts to point out that Sikhs, Indians, and Christian Arabs among others aren't even related to the attackers, so you can't even attack people out of Cowardly Bigotory based on appearance?

Bob Levey: No argument with any of this. But there are millions of Americans who think that this country is still for blonds named Smith and Jones.

Travel tax credit?: Bob, help! I read with interest the new bill being proposed which would give individuals a $500 tax credit for all personal/vacation travel through the end of the year which could be applied to any travel from now until 12/31 over 100 miles from your home.

My question is this. Can I take advantage of this even if I do not itemize my deductions? If I spend $500 on travel, will they just "apply" $500 on top of what I owe/get back?

Bob Levey: Not sure how it will work, and neither is anyone else, since Congress still gets a crack at the details. Remember, civics students, that the President can only propose such a measure. The Hill crafts it into actual law.

Ballston, Va.: I don't think Strom could " stand " for another election!

Bob the ever punster strikes again.

Bob Levey: You are wicked.
Wicked and wondrous.
Thanks

Washington, D.C.: Bob, Thanks for your reply to the liberated man on the Metro. That is my point exactly. Well said!!

Bob Levey: My gratitude

Re: Woman who thinks men should stand on Metro: Huh? First, I am a woman. I can't believe the woman who said men should get on Metro and just "stand" already. All this talk about equal rights and fighting stereotypes and she has created two: that women are too weak to stand also and that men should always be strong and stand.

Who sits and who stands isn't gender. It's need. If you see someone who needs a seat, let them sit. I would never expect a man to give me his seat just because he's male. It's nice of him, but it shouldn't be a requirement.

Thanks, Bob. Have a great weekend!

Bob Levey: Well said. By the way, I can tell you first-hand that people look past gender when this issue comes up. I am a fairly fit, 6-foot-tall, obviously male humanoid. Several years ago, I destroyed my leg in a softball game. The doc gave me a remedial boot. It looked like something a mad sci-fi fan would have dreamed up--huge, clumsy, jet black, very threatening. People aboard Metro would FLY out of their seats to let me have them.

Washington, D.C.: Door-standing guy again. You're misreading or I'm mistyping. The doors on the side I stand on are the doors that DON'T open between my work stop and home stop -- I'm not in the way of anyone exiting the train because no one is exiting through those doors anyway.

Bob Levey: The middle of the train beckons. Side benefit: You can look down at some Seated Soul and grab a glimpse of Bob Levey's Washington as she reads it!

Downtown D.C.: Wait a minute, wait a minute! You write that "Problem: the cars didn't meet specifications. They had to be sent back to the factory for modifications" about Metro's car shortage.

That just sounds awfully odd. Did Metro give the factory the right specs in the first place? Really, some reporter should double-check with the factory for its version.

I used to love Metro when I came to D.C. in 1985. But now, after months and months of elevators that don't work and escalators that don't run and trains that are late, I'm weary of Metro's constant excuses for incompetent management frankly.

Why hasn't Metro boosted the fares by a dime a ride to fix the problems? A lot of riders like me would be glad to pay for such an investment.

Bob Levey: Politics, of course, are the reason why Metro hasn't and won't raise fares. It can't run like a regular business because its "managers" are from 11 local jurisdictions, and those reps are spending tax dollars. So it becomes more important to keep Metro available to, say, kids and poor people than to "cover" certain repairs.
Yes, the specs on the new cars were right. The factory didn't deliver cars whose doors worked well enough, often enough.

Alexandria, Va.: Gun sales are up too. Who do people think they're going to shoot? Do they think the next attack will consist of Taliban members knocking on their front doors?

Bob Levey: Do they think that the next terrorist will center his efforts only on their homes? Madness....

Wiredog: Bob, looks like the DeadSkins are going for a perfect record this year. So what's there to do on Sundays in the fall, anyway?

Bob Levey: Leaves need you to rake them. Galleries need you to view them. The fabulous, terrific towpath beside the C & O Canal needs you to walk it.

Washington, D.C.: In regards to the person's comment about four-car trains on Green Line. I am sick of hearing people say that the other lines ALWAYS have six-car trains. That is simply not true. I ride on the Orange Line from Virginia to downtown. Usually, ever other train is a four-car. And, riders on the Orange Line have to squish just as much. Try getting on an Orange Line train at 5:15 at any stop after Metro Center. Squish City. My guess is that we have grown accustomed to it. It's a fact of life if you ride Metro during rush hour. Be prepared to squish. Red Line and Orange Line riders know this already. I'm not saying Green liners don't have a right to complain, but don't claim that the rest of us are lounging while you're suffering.

Bob Levey: Accurate. Well said. Thanks

Alexandria, Va.: Hi Bob - Another Metro question/problem. I don't know if this is isolated to the Franconia/Springfield station or if it's all over, but people are parking two deep, past the end of the row of parking spaces, into the driving aisles because the parking lot has been filling up early with people (I asumme) using metro rather than driving up 395 because of the recent traffic problems. I noticed some days that these cars were being ticketed but then it seemed that they weren't. It's a huge hazard when you're trying to leave the parking lot in the afternoon. The cars at the end of the aisle (perpendicular to the offending cars) are blocked in and nobody can see if cars are coming from beyond. There is overflow parking at Springfield mall about half a mile away (with shuttles!) so I don't see why this should be tolerated.

Bob Levey: I'll post this so the Metroniks can sic a few more cops on this lot. Obviously, that's needed

Arlington, Va.: Bob! You're a parent, and have been for some time (I'm not cracking on your age, just expressing my long-time readership of your columns), so can you help me before I punch the next well-meaning friend? I have a six-month old, and you would not BELIEVE the "friendly" advice I get from people. Everything from "he looks like he needs a sweater" to "don't listen to the pediatrician -- he can eat -insert foods known to cause horrible allergic reactions]." We didn't start him on solid food until about two weeks ago (and you wouldn't believe what I got prior to that), and now we're getting all kinds of unsolicited advice. How can I tell these people (an amazing number of which, BTW, don't have children themselves) thanks, but keep it to yourselves?

Bob Levey: Just say "thank you" and do it your way. And practice a plastic, all-purpose grin to flash at advice-offerers (mirthless, of course). You will need it, because you will get even more advice when this child is mobile (and mobilized).

Oakton, Va.: The real answer to this asinine argument about men and women standing on the Metro is to start hooking up the eight-car trains. Something that should have done long ago. I have suggested this many times. Then both men AND women could find more seats.

Bob Levey: See previous timetables for delivery of new cars. I'd say you might get your wish starting in 2004 or so

Downtown Washington, D.C.: Any nets on how long it will be before Time or Newsweek does an entertainment themed cover story again? It was at least once a month for a while.

Bob Levey: Maybe if there's a runaway hit show in this new TV season (you DID notice that there was a new TV season, didn't you?).
Failing that, how about a cover on the skittishness of Hollywood? I'm told there were a bunch of the usual blow-em-up features ready to be released. But Hollywood is holding back. Odd, if you ask me. People watched shoot-em-up westerns during World War Two. It's about entertainment (and bucks, of course), not about some sudden streak in the movie-going public that would make it wish for the Chipmunks

Silver Spring, Md.: We are all squished on the Metro. People on the Metro should give up their seats to the needy. Another Metro issue: Why do people put their bags in the empty seat next to them during rush hour when they know someone will occupy it or worse stretch their legs out on the train? How rude for those who do that.

Bob Levey: The bag-depositors are betting you won't "call" them on it and ask to sit down.
Call them on it

Re: Flying to Florida out of National: Bob -- For the person who is supposed to fly to Florida on Oct. 26, my boss was bumped from his Dulles-Orlando flight this morning and rebooked this afternoon on NATIONAL-Orlando (via Atlanta). So contrary to what the airport is saying, they are clearly flying beyond the NorthEast Corrider.

Bob Levey: Thanks. This trend will only gather steam, of course.
As for me, I'm avoiding National until Jan. 1 or so for two reasons: One, I'm not convinced that the fare sales are applying there yet, or soon will. Two, I have a hunch that on-time batting averages at Dulles and BWI may be better for a while.

Alexandria, Va.: Who invented the word "normalcy?" Was it Coolidge?

Bob Levey: I believe so. But I know that Casey Stengel popularized it.

Re: Gun Sales: One reason gun sales are up is fear. Not fear that a terrorist will attack them personally, but fear that gun rights will be taken away. They decide to buy that gun they've been considering before it becomes illegal. Thankfully, I haven't heard much talk about gun bans because of the terrorist activities.

Bob Levey: Who says gun are about to become illegal? I have not heard ONE WHIT of discussion about this. Proves to me that gun people are always fanning non-existent flames

Montgomery, Ala.: My understanding is that bin Laden is hiding in caves in the Afghanistan and not communicating with the outside world. Wouldn't a victory be to keep him hiding and not communicating? If he tries to communicate electronically, we should be able to detect the communicate and take appropriate action against the communication site. Meanwhile the Taliban regime will fall and search missions in Afghanistan will slowly tighened the noose around bin Laden's neck.

Bob Levey: I want bin Laden marched before the flashcams of the world.

Alexandria, Va.: Re: Blair --

It's strategically beneficial to have Blair make certain announcements, because it bolsters the appearance that the operation involves NATO, not just America.

Bob Levey: Exactly. Bet on more of same--from Putin, among others.

NW Washington, D.C.: I for one am sorry that Tom Shales felt his intellect was condescended to by the didacticism of the "West Wing" episode. But from some of the hateful ignorant spew I've heard coming out of people's mouths recently there are a great many Americans who could stand a bit or remidial high school social studies right now.

Bob Levey: No question. But I am very uncomfortable with the idea that we can't "digest" Sept. 11 except through a made-up TV program.
Then, again maybe the joke's on me. As I came to work this morning, I spotted a bumper sticker that read: "Martin Sheen is MY president."
That was a joke, right?
Right?

Washington, D.C.: If there are no "giants" in Congress or other American institutions, then the problem is us. We get the representation we deserve.

Bob Levey: And we did back in the 1960s, when the Senate was full of huge figures like Mansfield, Dirksen, Javits, Fulbright. Why the pipsqueaks of today?

The Olympics: I was in Barcelona recently, having been there previously in 1975. The changes and improvements around the olympic area and the other changes made for the Olympics did improve the city a great deal. Of course, they have this big stadium now that does not seem to be used for much - but tourists can go see it. (Needless to say I did not).

Perhaps they will let all the Feds off for two weeks like they did in Atlanta, and metro won't be so crowded, anyway!

Bob Levey: I don't think they'll have to. The reason the Olympics worked in LA in '84 was that half the town skedaddled for the hills. It'll happen here, too, in 2012, without OPM having to order it.

Arlington, Va.: Normalcy was from Warren G. Harding: "Not nostrums but normalcy."

Bob Levey: Yup. Right. Sorry, Warren

Bob Levey: Time to get back to ink-on-paper pursuits, gang (that's a secretly encoded messages to my editors that means: I'm typing as fast as I can, you guys!). Thanks for taking part today. You'll have another golden opportunity a week from today, same time.

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