But I just come for the monuments.

They are nice, aren't they? Particularly when the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

However, it's important to recognize the fundamental injustice in effect: 580,000 US citizens are denied a Constitutional right. They pay the same taxes as all US citizens. The District often has more citizens wounded in the armed forces than some states do. And of course, District citizens are subject to the laws Congress passes.

The result is second-class citizenship for the inhabitants of our proud nation's capital. Other nations have used this point to sneer at America spreading democracy around the world. As we spend $500 billion -- including funds paid by District citizens -- to build democracy in the Middle East, America doesn't have democracy in its seat of power.

The issue of DC voting rights is something of a poker tell for a politician: to support DC suffrage is to support authentic democracy. The only arguments against DC voting rights are politically motivated. Supporters of principle read the situation for what it is: 200 years of injustice foisted on the citizens of DC -- and foisted on America.