Washington Nationals transcend politics, give chattering class something to agree on This is their time. History would be less surprised if all the Democrats and all the Republicans woke up one day, agreed on tax reform, solved the deficit, and danced through the streets in a group hug. But it is true: Although they lost Sunday's game, giving them just three more chances to clinch the division title, the Nats nonetheless will play meaningful baseball games this October, the first time that could be said of any Washington major league team since 1933. And for the people who inhabit the capital's power alleys, the feeling is one of ecstasy, anxiety, and a strange, well, powerlessness. The first alert that things were a bit out of control landed via Twitter, on Aug. 16. Gerald Seib, the Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau chief, tweeted the wonderful and awful news: "OK, Nats fans, time to start considering: Possible conflicts between NL postseason games and VP debate Oct. 11, and Prez debate Oct 22." In offices all over town, the reality of life with divided loyalties hit hard. At NBC News, "Meet the Press" host David Gregory felt it like a gut punch - might he really have to miss a Nats playoff game to watch Mitt Romney and Barack Obama trade one-liners? "The tweet brought it home to me," Gregory said. He's been a season-ticket holder since the first season at RFK Stadium, in 2005. His children have grown up saturated in the hard lessons of losing. He'd just assumed that "as long as their behavior is good enough to deserve going, we could finally see a postseason game," he said. Except that a presidential debate is a must event for someone who covers politics for a living. It's even more of a must for the guy who has to moderate a debate. Bob Schieffer, host of "Face the Nation" on CBS, may find himself confronted with another kind of divided loyalty. Schieffer, who grew up in Fort Worth, has lived here since 1969, but is a steadfast fan of his hometown Texas Rangers (who are, making things even more cosmically strange, the former Washington Senators, having abandoned the District after the 1971 season.) When the Nats came to town, Schieffer fell hard for them, went to nearly every game at RFK, bought season tickets. He is aware - deeply, searingly aware - that there may come a day, perhaps this month, when his cherished Rangers and beloved Nats face each other in the World Series. "That's my secret wish," he said. I don't know what I'd do. I can't bring myself to think about it.