Etheridge Tours Capitol with Kucinich

Rock singer Melissa Etheridge and her son Beckett sat outside the House floor Thursday virtually unrecognized while waiting for Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) to give them their first-ever tour of the Capitol.

Etheridge, in a baggy yellow button-down shirt and khaki pants, patiently waited with her son for Kucinich to finish voting while other lawmakers and staffers hurried by without giving her so much as a glance.

“I’m visiting my friend Mr. Kucinich,” Etheridge said when asked what brought her to the Hill.

She said it was her first time in the Capitol, and she was impressed.

“I’m very thrilled to feel the power, she said.

She didn’t go unnoticed by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), who stopped to chat with the star and pose with her for a picture.

“My wife and I are big fans,” he told The Hill. “She’s a great rocker.”

As Kucinich rushed from the Speaker’s Lobby to greet his guests, he explained that he and Etheridge “have a mutual interest in human rights.”

Upon seeing Kucinich, Etheridge exlaimed, “There he is!” and gave him a long hug.

“I want you to meet my son,” she said before the group walked off for a tour of the Capitol.

–Kris Kitto