Potomac fever

English Etymology desire for political power In reference to the Potomac river running through Washington, D.C., seat of US politics. Noun - en Potomac horse fever. en informal A desire for political power. en 1991 Tom Sehler When Reason Sleeps 4 Or maybe he just had a severe case of Potomac fever. It affects most congressmen and senators sooner or later: an atrophy of the sense of humility, a swelling of the glands of arrogance. en 2011 Roger Herst Rabbi Gabrielle's Defiance After years of resisting Potomac fever, was she experiencing the initial symptoms ofthis dreaded disease? Was she capitulating toa base instinct for power?