In the beginning, there was partisanship. When Daniel Coughlin was chosen to be the first-ever Catholic House chaplain in March 2000, Democrats made clear that he wasn’t their pick. A top Democratic spokeswoman called the decision to appoint him — made unilaterally by then-Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) — "a graceless, tactless, partisan maneuver."
Ten years later, Coughlin is still in the job, and there is ample evidence that the rancor that accompanied his selection has disappeared: Last week, lawmakers from both parties streamed onto the House floor to honor his decade of service.