We interrupt this vacation for a special announcment. Go check out the Paul Richardson interview in the CN-G…

After years of studying government and politics from a distance, University of Illinois student Paul Richardson spent the last six months getting an unusually close look at how things really work in Springfield.

As part of the UI’s Civic Leadership Program, Richardson has been interning with Rich Miller, founder of the must-read Statehouse newsletter, Capitol Fax, and a companion Web site, the Capitol Fax Blog. Miller might not be a household name everywhere, but he is “hugely influential” in the world of state government, Richardson said. “What I usually say is that I work for the insider’s insider at the Statehouse,” he said. […]

“To be honest, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he said. “I just wanted to experience the actual process in Springfield – the policy-making process – and get a better idea of how it all works. And I just wanted to meet a lot of people who work here, all different sides of things.” […]

“The hardest part about the whole thing for me is that I’m a perfectionist and I plan everything out as much as possible, and these seven months, literally, (Miller) would call me up and in like three minutes I’d have to go here, do it immediately,” Richardson said.

Miller took Richardson with him everywhere, from a rare 40-minute private interview with Gov. Rod Blagojevich to late-night escapades at Statehouse watering holes and everything in between.

“I’ve tried to give him a rounded view of the whole thing,” Miller said. “I take him places with me, you know, at night, which is when a lot of the work gets done in this town. I’ve just tried to introduce him around to people. This town, this process, and in fact the political process in a democracy, is mostly based on interpersonal relationships, and the only way you can move forward is to have those interpersonal relationships.” […]

Miller predicted Richardson would be successful at whatever he ends up doing. “If he is ever looking for a job, I would be more than happy to give him the highest recommendation,” Miller said. “A whole lot of other people in that building, meaning the Capitol, would do the same thing, and not because he’s been sucking up to them. It’s his output, his work, his insight, that has really impressed a lot of people.”

Comments are still closed, but you can leave a note of congratulations to Paul or offer your own insight on his internship now and your words will magically appear after my vacation is over.

Make sure to read the whole thing. There’s a lot more to this story.

Also, Paul needs a place to stay (downtown or near downtown is a must) for the first two weeks in August. His internship is officially over at the end of July, but he wants to stick it out as long as possible. What a guy.