WASHINGTON, D.C. — The typical tourist's visit to Washington usually includes trips to the White House, the Capitol and Arlington National Cemetery.

        The political junkie's visit has all those things — but throw in attending Senate confirmation hearings, shaking hands with Hillary Rodham Clinton and chatting it up with Orrin Hatch and Strom Thurmond.

Scheyer

Schrage

        Northern Kentuckians Bill Scheyer and Bob Schrage are in Washington this week, playing the dual role of wide-eyed out-of-towners and clued-in political insiders.

        They are gearing up for today's inauguration of George W. Bush as they wind down from a nearly yearlong odyssey of experiencing and observing the presidential race up close.

        “When we outlined our plan, we said this would be from Iowa to inauguration,” Mr. Schrage, 40, a Boone County resident and the assistant director of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, said Thursday night from an Arlington, Va., hotel room.

        “It's the bookends of our year, and we love coming to inaugurations,” he said. “It's the neatest part of American history because it's the transfer of power.”

        Mr. Schrage and Mr. Scheyer — Erlanger's city administrator — have a unique and demanding hobby. They don't just follow politics, they literally follow politics.

        Using vacation time and their own money, the pair have logged more than 9,000 miles this year, attending campaign events and immersing themselves in the political process.

        They visited the Iowa caucuses; the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia; the vice presidential debate in Danville, Ky.; and the vote of the Kentucky electors in Frankfort that certified Mr. Bush's win in the state.

        At each stop, they somehow finagle their way into doing things such as shaking hands with presidential candidate Al Gore in Iowa and landing press passes at the debate in Danville.

        This week has been no different.

        After a Senate confirmation hearings for John Ashcroft, Mr. Bush's attorney general nominee, they made sure to shake hands and briefly talk to Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, who briefly sought the GOP presidential nomination last year.

        “We wanted to see him again because we met him in Iowa,” Mr. Scheyer, 51, said.

        They also made sure to meet another committee member, 98-year-old Strom Thurmond of South Carolina.

        “He's the oldest living presidential candidate. He ran in 1948,” Mr. Schrage said. “Since Bill and I love presidential politics and history, we had to meet him.”

        Their other encounters included talking with Paul O'Neill, nominated by Mr. Bush for treasury secretary, who was also going through confirmation hearings this week; and Mrs. Clinton, whom they shook hands with in the Senate.

        “It was great because until Saturday she is the first lady as well as a U.S. senator,” Mr. Schrage said. “At no other time in history has that ever happened before, so we really wanted to see her, and meeting her made it even better.”

        Tourist attractions have also been on the agenda. They took a White House tour and strolled past the monuments and memorials to Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson and Roosevelt.

        “I love this town because I love American history,” Mr. Scheyer said. “This is our third inaugural, but I never get tired of coming here or seeing these things.”

        Signs of the transition are everywhere in Washington, Mr. Schrage said.

        “We saw a moving van in front of the White House,” he said. “That's a pretty good indicator of what's going on here this week.”

Westwood hosts tour of sections in decline
Bones turn out to be man missing 35 years
Lawyer: Villa Hills risks lawsuit
Probe of morgue photos continues
Fans object to Bengals' pay-up notice
SAMPLES: Use taxes
Boehner: Schools cry for reforms
Cutback in buses opposed
With surplus, Norwood modernizes
Campaign odyssey at end for Northern Kentucky pair
County urged to drop jail suit
Court rejects appeal in baby killer's case
'Guru' preaches regional sharing
HOWARD: Neighborhoods
Man convicted of kidnapping, sex charges
MCNUTT: Butler patrol
Past ways today's topics
Red tape blamed in defunct prison work program
Suspect in killing faces bond hearing
Taft says Ohio will be national player
Truck fumes sicken officers
UK grad among final 3 for presidency
UK student president censured
Wendell Ford will sit out this inauguration
Kentucky News Briefs
Tristate A.M. Report