"This is not really about oil," said Julia Nanay, a Washington-based consultant who works with oil companies active in the Caspian.

Howells's old charger, The Atlantic Monthly, is owned by a Washington-based consultant.

Terry D'Agostino is a Washington-based political consultant and campaign fixer.

At seminars taught by several local and Washington-based political consultants, the candidates-to-be learned about public speaking, campaign finance, and the issues on voters' minds.

"I don't think anyone will remember this in two weeks," said Carter Eskew, a Washington-based Democratic consultant.

"Weicker is a Republican in name only and barely that," said Eddie Mahe, a Washington-based consultant to Republican politicians.

"He told me he was beginning to get threatening phone calls, and I was concerned for him," said Mr. Miller, a Washington-based consultant on government contracting.

"White America may pat itself on the back for including him," Clifford Alexander, a Washington-based consultant who monitors baseball's equal employment initiatives, said of Robinson.

Michael McKee, a Washington-based consultant to the party that supports statehood, sees benefits in a sell-off of money-losing enterprises owned by the commonwealth.

"The good news is that productivity is up; the bad news is we're in a recession," said Michael K. Evans, a Washington-based economic consultant.