WASHINGTON – The terrace on the west side of the Capitol used to be a popular place for tourists and Washingtonians alike to watch the sun dip behind the Lincoln Memorial at the far end of the National Mall.
Then came the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The terrace has been closed to the public ever since. It's a sad fact of life in the nation's capital that security measures are seldom temporary.
So when the Capitol police force's acting chief said permanent fences around the Capitol complex should be part of the “vast improvements” in security needed to protect the building and the lawmakers who work inside, the reaction from members of Congress, local lawmakers and neighborhood residents was swift and emphatically negative. “DC does not