The maverick is wrong when it comes to the Dulles corridor

John Merli
Published: October 8, 2008

Sometimes politicians box themselves into little corners of self-imposed patterns of “acceptable behavior” that eventually could make it increasingly hard for them to break free of their own restrictions —
even when they want to. (Hoisted on their own rhetorical petard?) I’m thinking, offhand, of Barack Obama and his stance on the surge in Iraq, and John McCain for his staunch opposition to any and all
earmarks, regardless of circumstances. Where does “principle” start to diminish and “stubbornness” take over?

Let’s hope when it comes to candidate McCain and the long-sought Dulles Metro extension through Tyson’s Corner, he’ll listen to his own comments on alternative fuels and wasteful spending, and come
to his senses in the years to come. It’s one thing for the presidential hopeful to fight off earmarks tacked onto virtually every legislative measure that comes out of Congress. Such an admirable stance,
while unpopular with many of his colleagues (which can only be a good thing), has stood out better than most other traits on the long campaign trail as a constant reminder of the Arizonian’s maverick
nature in some things. But he’s wrong on the Dulles corridor, and Obama got it right.

McCain’s ‘nay’ vote last week was one of only two dozen voicing disapproval in the Senate for a five-year $13 billion package for Amtrak and related transportation needs. And the huge majority of “yes”
votes likely means the bill is veto-proof. The White House, as usual, had threatened to ax the measure, primarily because it’s already spending $10 billion monthly in Iraq, not to mention $700 billion for
Wall Street greed, and what’s more important — a new highway leading out of Baghdad or Kirkuk or an above-ground rail line, not dependable on oil, leading to one of the busiest airports in the nation?.

The Amtrak reauthorization (more than a decade in the making) includes our own Rep. Tom Davis’s proposal of $1.5 billion to fund (over 10 years) for the Dulles connection, and served to demonstrate a
certain short-sightedness on McCain’s part (or perhaps stubbornness, take your pick), which is remarkable at this point in the midst of our fiscal and energy crises, for at least three reasons: For one,
McCain himself resides much of the year in Arlington and knows something about the traffic woes that threaten to virtually gridlock us in Northern Virginia and the nation’s capital (surely a
potential “homeland security” issue if ever there was one).

Secondly, if he is elected president, more federal workers under McCain’s watch will be forced to rely on public transportation (notably Metrorail and Metrobus) than ever before. To some extent, the
president is liable for ensuring that his government workers are able to get to their jobs in the D.C. region in a reasonable manner (especially as Ft. Belvoir comes into play for federal workers by 2011).
Thirdly, extending a transit link through one of the region’s largest, most vehicle-clogged, pedestrian-unfriendly retail sectors (Tyson’s) to an airport that is situated deep within the outer exurbs (especially
if you don’t live in central or western Prince William) will no doubt save tens of millions of gallons of fossil fuel annually. (It’s not coincidental that Amtrak’s funding nod last week comes as its ridership is
setting records from weary, cost-conscious commuters).

Nothing makes more sense in this region than sensible public transportation options that people will actually use. (Getting Metrorail down into Prince William as far south as Quantico, would be nice, too,
but I’m not holding my breath.) Whether the next president is Obama or McCain, he has to act responsibly to ensure that the national capital region does not fall into worse gridlock than here in the final
days of 2008.

Improving and growing public transportation is also a form of “alternative energy,” and public transport options in this region deserve more than a simplistic “nay” vote from anti-earmark crusaders on
Capitol Hill trying to make a point — especially when it comes from someone with a 50-50 chance of being the next president in a matter of weeks.

John Merli has been a Prince William County resident since 1984, and a Potomac News columnist since 1985. He has worked in the media for more than 30 years. E-mail him at .