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"In any case," Berman says, in closing his letter, "I hope you find this calendar useful and inspiring." 'All We Can Do Is Laugh'

Ron Sarasin, president of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society, is trying to take the whole thing in stride. "We're extremely embarrassed … at this point all we can do is laugh about it."

The "We, the People" calendar is elaborately produced, offering beautiful perspectives of the nation's capital and "fun facts" about American history. This edition celebrates the events of 1802.

In a letter to The Wolf Files, Sarasin says: "During the thirty plus years we have been printing this calendar, a few errors have occurred, but this one is a real beauty! If we try to find humor in our misfortune, it is only because there are some truly serious problems existing in today's world — and this is not one of them."

The society's books and souvenirs on the federal government are widely praised as learning aids for children and for celebrating American history. Since the Sept. 11 attacks, White House tours have been restricted. The society's new DVD, The U.S. Capitol, a Vision in Stone offers glimpses inside federal buildings that are now much harder for Americans to visit.

Contrary to Berman's letter, Sarasin says only 650,000 "We, the People" calendars were produced with the wrong date. The society has compensated lawmakers and others who ordered the calendars, and cut the price of the calendar from $6.95 to $2.95. About a third of the calendars are bulk-ordered, many of them custom-printed for Washington lawmakers.

Berman's office decided to keep its calendars and, on the back of constituent letters, it has printed a corrected version of December 2002 that folks can paste over the botched page.

"It's a real bargain, and I hope Americans can appreciate that at a time of economic woe," says Sarasin. "Go into any bookstore. A calendar of that quality will cost you around $12.95."

Now that's really American: A $10 savings — and you get an extra day at no extra cost.