"I've been in Washington ever since 1981, trying to get out!"

Pat Oliphant's quote is an amusing method of expressing his frustration with the political system in Washington. He has been residing in the city because 1981 and has been attempting to leave since. This quote implies that he has actually been unsuccessful in his attempts to leave, and that he is stuck in the city. It also recommends that he is unhappy with the present state of politics in Washington, which he aspires to move away. The quote indicates that he has actually been attempting to leave the political system in Washington for a long time, however has actually been not able to do so. It is a funny method of expressing his dissatisfaction with the present state of politics in Washington.