non-consecutive terms

''... working at the intersection of business and government.''

If you're looking for an American politician to admire, you could do worse than John H. Ketcham.  His achievment? He served 17 non-consecutive terms in Congress (according to this account). I have no idea why, but this gossipy piece ["Tom Strickland's revenge"], about the coming race to fill Wayne Allard's (R CO) U.S. Senate seat triggered that thought. Maybe because Allard succeeded Hank Brown, whom I also admired for similar reasons.  Brown spent a few term in the Colorado Senate, a few more in the U.S. House, and two terms in the U.S. Senate.  Then he got out to take care of bidness (which means, of course, he had a business outside of politics).  Allard himself is leaving after two terms. Henry Clay was elected to the House in non-consecutive elections four times.  What I admire about all of them is they saw public service as something of an imposition. It's no coincidence that none were democrats (Clay was a Whig).   They had real jobs that needed taking care of, and serving in congress was considered a duty, not a well paying sinecure with perks galore..   That's the way it should be. ASIDE If you don't read the ''Tom Strickland" article, here's the most delicious part. Since leaving Congress two years ago, McInnis has been employed in the Denver office of Hogan & Hartson. It's a humongous international law firm (1,000-plus attorneys, 22 offices worldwide) that describes its mission delicately as "working at the intersection of business and government." That's a fun phrase. In plain English, it means lobbying for dollars. McInnis is the Republican thought most likely to run for Allard's seat.  Barf. /ASIDE