The Upper House

"They come to Washington for reasons as varied and complex as human motivation itself--driven perhaps by some deep emotional commitment to an issue, or believing that their time in the Senate can make their dream of the presidency a reality. Senators like Jon Tester, Jim Webb, Al Franken and Amy Klouchbar came craving power or out of a need to be in the spotlight. No matter what their motivation or particular route, freshmen have three traits in common: they will be members of one of the most powerful deliberative bodies on the planet; they will have far less leverage and influence than they…