With Hirshhorn Bubble, Smithsonian could break D.C. from stagnation

Washington has a hard time wrapping its mind around a good idea, especially if that idea emerges from the realms of art and culture. The political mind knows how to parse budgets, assess risk, pass blame and gather influence while shirking responsibility. Ideas that require some measure of faith and hope, that touch on beauty and other essential intangibles, are doomed if left in the hands of bureaucrats.