Prior to joining The Hill in 2002, Jonathan E. Kaplan was assistant editor at The American Lawyer magazine and a freelance journalist in Washington and New York primarily writing about endurance and adventure sports. He's reported twice from Iraq in 2003 and 2004.  Kaplan received his B.A. in government from Colby College and his M.A. in public policy from the University of Chicago. He has completed the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and the JFK 50-mile ultramarathon in Boonestown, Md.