We were excited yesterday to receive an invitation to apply for press credentials to cover the Democratic National Convention in Boston this summer. We submitted our application immediately to the DNCC and the Periodical Press Galleries. Today, were received an e-mail from the Press Galleries turning us down. Our offense? We lobby/tesify to Congress on proposed and existing legislation. True enough. Here's the rule:

.... they shall declare that, while a member of the Galleries, they will not .... become engaged or assist, directly or indirectly, in any lobbying, promotion, advertising, or publicity activity intended to influence legislation or any other action of the Congress, nor any matter before any independent agency, or any department or other instrumentality of the Executive branch; and that they will not act as an agent for, or be employed by the Federal, or any State, local or foreign government or representatives thereof; .....

Now our hope lies with the DNCC--unless we can get a cable tv news station, newspaper, online news service or magazine to sponsor us.