By: Anne Schroeder Mullins

The short goodbye to Chris Shays

After 21 years, tomorrow is Christopher Shays’ last day in Congress.

He’s not planning on writing a book. He won’t miss the press. He has too many great stories from being a member of Congress to choose just one. When he thinks of Capitol Hill, he thinks of the American flag. And his job, he says, was like going to school and being tested; his constituents were his teachers. He loved being a part of the ’95-’96 GOP Revolution, “before it got hijacked by Tom DeLay.”

This week was spent packing up his office and saying goodbye to his staff. He had a bit of trouble remembering to head into Fox News’ D.C. bureau for an early-morning hit on Tuesday, because no one reminded him — something he has to get used to. “Welcome to my new world of running your life without staff,” he tells us in that trademark mellow tone of his. “Eventually that will be very nice.”

We asked how it felt when he woke up on the Wednesday morning after the election. “Well, first off, you woke up a few times,” he kindly corrects us. “And when you woke up, you instantly realized, ‘My gosh, I lost the election.’ And the next few nights, when you woke up, it was hard to fall back asleep. Not because of regrets but because of the recognition that you needed to pack up in 2½ weeks. You had to dismantle a staff that, in my judgment, was the best in the country. The thought of saying goodbye to my staff was the most difficult thing.”

So after the goodbyes, then what? He says he’s in no position to write a book, since he lost. But “hopefully, I’ll find the kind of work that — when you’re a member of Congress, you’re used to being of service. That’s your job, and you want your life to be a blessing to others, and I still want that to continue,” he explains. Then he tells us the biblical story of God and Abraham. Summing it up: “… and he tells Abraham, ‘I’ll make your life a blessing.’ That’s what we should work for.”

What won’t he miss? That’s easy. “I honestly think I will not mind not having to answer to the press,” Shays says. “It’s very different than a few years ago. The press doesn’t focus on issues anymore — it’s whether who’s winning or losing, who’s happy or sad and so on, and educating the public about issues isn’t something the press wants to do anymore. I will not miss that aspect of it.” Pause. “I will love having my privacy. Let me put it in a positive way.”

He gets on a positive roll, even saying that he’s met some great people along the way “in government and in the press.” The press! Look at you!

“Not the ones who covered me,” he adds quickly.

“Now, will I eventually adjust to having my weekends back? I will,” Shays concludes. “Will it take a while for me to figure out what to do without a schedule? It will.” 

The proof is in the distance

Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, made a bold office switch on Monday, leading some to wonder what exactly is going on. So we knew something was up.

Cole’s old office in Cannon was within spitting distance of his other job at the NRCC, which of course made things a bit easier.

But in the lottery, Cole got a new office in the Rayburn building, which is, needless to say, quite a hike.

“Either he’s not terribly confident about winning the NRCC [chairmanship], or he’s looking to get a bit more exercise,” laughs one observer.

So what’s the deal?

Cole’s personal office tells us he decided to move to a better, roomier space, while a spokesman for the NRCC sounds bleak: “We’re not going to comment on the internal politics of the personal office. We have plenty of our own to deal with.”

A little while later, we got word that Cole had withdrawn from the NRCC race.

Joe (not that Joe) takes up residence here — kinda

• Yo, Joe! Welcome back, Scarborough. Avid “Morning Joe” watchers have picked up on the fact that Joe seems to be removed from the set, talking in front of a camera in Washington a few days a week. What’s up with that?

Scarborough, we’re told, recently rented an apartment in D.C. He just loves it here. But his primary residence is still in Florida.

• And you might have seen Rep. Dan Lungren hobbling around — but not because of battle wounds. (He randomly — and curiously — challenged John Boehner for GOP leader.) The California lawmaker tore his Achilles tendon.

• We love this: It was only Tuesday, and yet a high-level Senate staffer declared: “I’m over Congress. They need to go back to recess.”

We miss you already, Ted

It was a crazy day in that sorority we call the Senate: After trying to elect John McCain, Sen. Joe Lieberman gets to stay, and after trying to build a bigger deck, Sen. Ted Stevens is forced to go.

So now we list the Top 10 reasons we’ll miss The Tedster:

10. The Hulk tie.

9. “Internets.” “Tubes.”

8. “Bridge to nowhere.”

7. The man crush on Sen. Daniel Inouye.

6. Tirades on the Senate floor. (Examples: Simply screaming, “No!” and vowing to help defeat Sen. Maria Cantwell.)

5. He’s one of the last bastions of the sweaters-under-suits combination. (And his brave choice of sweater colors.)

4. The use of legal jargon and dollar words in everyday life: “tautological.”

3. His generosity — such as offering to show rival Mark Begich around the Capitol and donate his own office for a work space over the summer. (He was kidding, but still.)

2. Alaska has now been stripped in D.C. Sarah Palin never quite made it. No more ­Stevens. Only Don Young. Sniff.

1. No other senator created his own state.

Bonus: The fact that he’s older than his own state.

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