Thread by @kasie

It's been a day of putting my head down, setting my feelings aside and doing my job trying to document everything we saw

But I need to take a moment to reflect on what has happed here at the U.S. Capitol, a place I've been privileged to cover on and off for over a decade (1/)

I've worked for a tiny policy newsletter, a newspaper, a magazine, a newswire, and now one of the big 3 national TV networks. I've had nice offices and tiny windowless desks. I've covered this place when Republicans ran it and when Democrats ran it. (2/)

I love my job and I love this place, even with all of its deep foibles and flaws. (3/)

When I first started, I was in awe that our system of government allowed reporters -- the free and protected press -- to roam the halls of the branch of government laid out in Article I of our Constitution. (4/)

There were lions here: John McCain, Ted Kennedy, John Warner...early on, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden were all here too. I could wander up to any one of them, tape recorder in hand, and demand they answer my questions (5/)

And while the job has always been to hold power to account, and I have covered my share of cowards and hypocrites and worse, I have also been inspired by the public servants who come here to try and make our world better (6/)

Political party is not character. I have always believed character matters. It will always matter to me. It will always matter to my reporting. (7/)

I have also always been inspired by our system of government. I was raised to believe in the American dream, in what we represented, in what we were supposed to be in the world: An example, an aspiration. I have always been so proud to be an American (8/)

And I always have viewed my job, first and foremost, as delivering information to my fellow citizens so they could decide how we should be governed. So they would have the tools they needed to make decisions about how to govern us (9/)

Because they do govern us. The people. (10/)

But what I have been covering these past four years has really shaken my faith. I have wanted to believe the best of our leaders. I have been willing to see it. But it's clear our country today isn't living up to what we have promised to be (11/)

Watching the Capitol I love be swarmed felt like a final blow. (12/)

We are supposed to lead the world. We are supposed to have the kind of strength that demands dictators and autocrats are shamed and driven from power. How are we to be that leader when our own shrine to democracy is overrun? (13/)

I refuse to believe America isn't capable of taking back its place as a moral leader of the free and democratic world. I know there are good people who are willing to lead.

I really hope they don't let all of us down. (fin)