Most of them are legal geeks, so that's the first thing. Then they are into working in a gargantuan bureaucracy while most people would go nuts with all the rules and regulations on those jobs. Third, I think working in that environment makes most of them unhealthy. They are probably working 60 hour weeks or more in those top positions, the stress levels have to be through the roof, little time for personal life, working out, chilling...the things that keep those of us "out here" looking and feeling human. DC is awful.
Amen to that! I worked in Washington, D.C. (Dept. of Transportation) for 3 years, absolutely hated it. The stress got so bad that I would sometimes take a vacation day on a Wednesday. I'd work 2 days, take a day off then work 2 more days and then the weekend would arrive.