Just Flapping in the Capitol Breeze

Before forking over the $13 to $22 for one of those U.S. flags ceremoniously flown over the Capitol, consider this: Witnesses say it's being mishandled. House staffers, who can see the operation from their offices, say that the flags are being attached only by the top ring, not properly at the top and bottom. It just flaps in the breeze, hardly a scene from Iwo Jima. "If you're not going to do it right, then don't do it all," says our tipster, a senior House staffer. "When people order the flag, they want to feel like it's something special," says the aide. "This is just a way to fly it fast." A spokesperson for the House architect, who oversees the program, was unaware of the problem but said it would be fixed.

With Anna Mulrine