NatSec writer: How To Survive Washington, DC

“Tony Stark,” the nom de plume of a national-security wonk leaving Washington after about a decade, has written a DC Survival Guide at Medium. Some of his advice is about keeping proper perspective: “Some people really are villains, this doesn’t make you the hero . . . Your interns will write books about you. The statesmen won’t give you a second thought. The latter is better than the former.” Others are good rules of the road: “Stay in shape. A circle is not the right shape . . . Food trucks are delicious, cholesterol drugs at 28 are not.” And: “If you have to ask, it’s probably an ethics violation.” And of course, be realistic about where you are: “This is not ‘House of Cards’ or ‘The West Wing.’ This is ‘Veep’ and you are probably Jonah.”