Cantwell learns key to Senate success: Keep it simple
2006-10-09
Source: Seattle Times
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rss feedJust after Hurricane Katrina last year, Sen. Maria Cantwell took a stand against gasoline price gouging.
Standing over a strip of dried grass at a gas station near the U.S. Capitol, Cantwell faced the TV news cameras and decried "skyrocketing gas prices." It's a crime, she said, raising her voice above the deafening traffic.
Cars careening past slowed down. Heads turned her way.
But they weren't looking at Cantwell. They were staring at the woman next to her — fellow Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton.
That's how much of Cantwell's six years in the U.S. Senate has gone: Hard work on important issues, only to be upstaged by bigger celebrities.
During her early Senate years, Cantwell's visibility was low at home, and lower still on Capitol Hill. Known as a wonk, she found herself lost in the shadow of Washington's senior senator, Democrat Patty Murray.
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