THE BUDGET IMPASSE : Washington Tourists Get Insider’s Tips

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) found himself with a new role Wednesday--tour guide--when a group of perplexed tourists asked what their chances were of seeing inside Washington’s attractions.

“The Capitol’s open. You’re in the Capitol. The Washington Monument--you can see it, you just can’t go up to the top. It’s dangerous anyway,” Dole told a group of tourists unhappy that a budget stalemate has caused the closure of museums, monuments and the White House.

The group stopped Dole on his way across the Rotunda to his Senate office. He had been on the House side for lunch because the Senate restaurant was closed.