The expression, “Inside the Beltway” is often used in a pejorative sense — as a vague insult referring to an amorphous group of politicians, policy wonks, nonprofits and think tanks. Given what’s currently happening on Capitol Hill and Pennsylvania Ave. — the still-smoking $787 billion stimulus law; the brewing controversy over an upcoming healthcare initiative; an outright war between Democrats and Republicans over the Obama administration’s budget proposal — it’s not just the usual political hacks who are interested in what is happening in D.C.
