Category: Michelle Kohanloo
Preserving a National Treasure in the Nation’s Capital
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2002–The Star-Spangled Banner, one of the country’s most fragile treasures, once waved in the sky while weathering a storm of bullets and bombs during the War of 1812. The morning after, a Washington lawyer named Francis Scott Key saw the flag still flying high and mighty over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry, and it inspired him to pen the words to the future national anthem.
“[The flag] is the meaning of America,” said Marilyn Zoidis, 52, a curator at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Today, the Star-Spangled Banner is undergoing a continuous preservation process in a state-of-the-art laboratory at the museum. The flag is being preserved rather than reconstructed because the tatters, stains, and inscriptions are part of its history, according to Suzanne Thomassen-Krauss, chief conservator of the project. The three-year, $18-million project is one of the largest preservation efforts the Smithsonian has undertaken.
“Flags are historic artifacts rather than ‘fine art’ so those subtle changes writ on their surfaces by the people who cared about it throughout time are important,” Thomassen-Krauss said. “Seeing very significant but fragile artifacts preserved is a reminder how easy it would be to lose our history if we stop trying to preserve it.”
The wool-and-cotton flag weighs about 50 pounds and measures approximately 30 by 34 feet. It originally had 15 stars and stripes, as mandated by Congress in 1794. However, one of the stars is missing from the flag today, as are nearly eight feet of its length.
“The practice at the time was to remove the good sections from the fly end (the end farthest from the flagpole) and piece them into damaged areas,” Thomassen-Krauss said.
She also noted that pieces are missing because of “souveniring.” Various owners of the flag cut off pieces as souvenirs for party guests and family members and survivors of the battle at Fort McHenry.
“We haven’t been able to determine how much of the fly end was lost through use, so it is difficult to know how much was souvenired from the flag,” Thomassen-Krauss said.
The flag is housed in a climate-controlled environment, ranging in temperature from 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, with special lighting to prevent further damage to a flag that has seen the best and worst of days. It is rolled out on a mobile platform, and conservationist team members work on their stomachs from a scaffolding several inches above the flag.
The flag is extremely fragile and no stitch is left unexamined. The team has removed 1.7 million stitches from linen backing sewn onto the flag from a previous preservation effort by flag restorer Amelia Fowler in 1914.
“[The project] is an ongoing process, with new information revealed at every stage,” Thomassen-Krauss said.
Eben Appleton, who had inherited the Star-Spangled Banner from his mother, selected the Smithsonian as the flag’s permanent home in 1912. Appleton was a descendant of Lt. Col. George Armistead, the commander at Fort McHenry, who had commissioned Mary Pickersgill and her young daughter to make the flag. It is said that Appleton not only wanted the flag to remain in a safe, protected environment, but also wanted to allow visitors from around the country to enjoy a nation’s treasure.
The flag is one of the most popular stops in the museum, attracting youngsters and adults. For many, the September 11 attacks reminded them of the cultural and symbolic importance of the Stars and Stripes.
“[The flag] is worth preserving,” Mitch Williams, a museum visitor, said. “It reminds you, ‘Is your freedom worth fighting for?’”
A school group peered into the laboratory through the floor-to-ceiling glass window, admiring the size and fragility of the famous flag.
“Anything is worthwhile when it comes to educating our kids,” Ira Green, a museum security officer, said. “And if I can learn at 41 years old, anyone can learn.”
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Michaud Finds New Home, New Role in D.C.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 20, 2002--It was lucky number 39 for Democratic Rep.-elect Michael H. Michaud as he joined other House freshmen for the office lottery drawing Thursday morning. Armed with floor plans and a long list of soon-to-be vacated offices, Michaud combed through the Cannon House Office Building for the perfect office with his chief of staff, Peter Chandler.
"Peter, this would be a nice chief of staff's office!" Michaud joked as he and Chandler peeked into a storage cage room across from one of the potential office spaces.
"Do you think my cell phone won't work in there? Because if it doesn't, I'll go sit in there," Chandler deadpanned.
Michaud ended up with Room 437 in the Cannon Building.
Michaud was immersed into his second week of freshman orientation at the Capitol, and there was much to be done, especially when it came to technology. Every member has at least one cell phone and a hand-held gadget called a BlackBerry. Michaud, who had never used a BlackBerry before, described it as an "e-mail type system that vibrates" as he punched various keys.
"They throw so much at you the first week with meetings and dinners with party leaders," Michaud said. "It's overwhelming."
Michaud, who is single and has no children, is still searching for a place to live that is a close walk to work on Capitol Hill, but he said that rent is "a lot more than what I am used to in Maine."
Despite the heavy reading material, meetings and long days, he remains bright-eyed and energized, like a college freshman settling into a new life, an exciting home-away-from-home.
Michaud does his best to absorb all that is around him. He introduces himself with a "How'ya doin'? I'm Mike Michaud from Maine" and offers a firm handshake and smile to almost everyone he encounters, even if only for a brief introduction.
Michaud, 46, will start his term in the 108th Congress on Jan. 7, but he is no stranger to the art of lawmaking. He spent 22 years as a state lawmaker, and he also has served as Senate president pro tem.
"There is a lot to do to get Maine moving forward," Michaud said.
Politics was not always on Michaud's career radar. After graduating from Schenck High School in 1973, he recalled with a smile, "If you asked me if I would have a career in politics, I'd say, 'You're crazy!' " But he decided to run for state legislature in 1980 because of a pollution problem in the Penobscot River, and he never looked back.
Michaud is a wealth of information when it comes to Maine's issues. He carefully explains topics ranging from health care and education to the job market and the struggling economy.
He hopes to become a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, like his Democratic predecessor, Gov.-elect John E. Baldacci. Regardless of committee assignments, Michaud said, "no matter where I am placed, there is so much to do for the 2nd District."
Michaud is particularly concerned with fair-trade issues, especially with the closing of the C.F. Hathaway Co. shirt factory earlier this fall.
"Maine has finite resources, and there's only so much we can do on a state level," Michaud said. "Over 22, 357 manufacturing jobs have been lost, and part of that has to do with federal trade policies."
Michaud has a difficult road ahead of him with Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, but he remains enthusiastic.
"I would have loved to have been in the majority in the House," he said. "But in the 22 years I was in the state legislature, I was in the minority twice, and that didn't stop me from getting things done."
In the meantime, Michaud will focus on settling into his new digs in the Capitol. But Maine is never far from his mind.
"I'll be trekking back quite often," he smiled. "I'll be hoppin' on a plane and getting home."
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Sniper Affects Lives of Everyday Mainers in D.C.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2002--Caileen Nutter's memories of crisp autumn days in Maine are filled with camping trips, hiking excursions, and biking down scenic streets, never thinking twice about her safety. She would walk around the University of Maine's Orono campus last fall like every college student, with her books in hand.
This October has been different. If Nutter was carrying a book, she'd nervously clutch it to her chest, hoping that maybe it would serve as some sort of protection against the sniper's next bullet.
Nutter, 21, was breathing a sigh of relief Thursday. Two men were arrested early that morning in connection with the sniper attacks in the D.C. area, though as of mid-afternoon Thursday they had not been officially charged with the murders.
"I feel much better," Nutter, who moved to this area last January to work for Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins, said in a phone interview. "I trust the police work that's being done."
John Allen Muhammad, 42, and John Lee Malvo, 17, were taken into custody by police at a rest stop near Frederick, Md., about 60 miles northwest of Washington. Malvo is reportedly Muhammad's stepson.
Nutter was one of countless people living in and around the Washington suburbs who became increasingly nervous as the elusive sniper's deadly game started three weeks ago.
The sniper shot 13 people, leaving 10 dead and three wounded.
"It's the utter randomness and senselessness of the attacks that makes it scary," Nutter said.
But not everyone was fearful of the sniper. Bangor resident Garrett Corbin, 20, is a Boston University student spending a semester here, and he said that although his parents worried for his safety, he never thought to change his normal daily routine.
"You can't really protect yourself against it," Corbin said. "If he starts to shoot in my neighborhood, then I'll worry. I'd be more scared if I lived in the suburbs, but living in the center of town, not so much."
Nutter's home in the Old Town area of Alexandria, Va., is less than 20 minutes away from a shooting last week in a Home Depot parking lot where a woman was killed by the sniper.
Nutter said she rarely walked around her neighborhood unless she was with her roommates or driving in a car. She'd even duck into a store if a white van passed her by on the street.
Although she said she was comforted knowing that the possible snipers have been caught, she added that she will "wait for confirmation" from police before feeling completely at ease again.
Crystal Bozek contributed to this story.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Congress Passes Election Reform
By Crystal Bozek and Michelle Kohanloo
WASHINGTON, Oct. 17, 2002--With the support of the Maine delegation, Congress has approved legislation designed to improve the nation's voting procedures and provide the first substantial federal spending on election reform nearly two years after the mayhem of the 2000 presidential election.
The Senate passed the Help America Vote Act Wednesday, 92-2, with an amendment offered by Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins that guarantees that all states, regardless of size, will share in the federal grant money that the bill authorizes.
The bill, which would provide $3.9 billion in federal grants over three years, was sent to President Bush Wednesday for his expected signature. The House passed the legislation last week.
"This legislation is an important step in restoring voter confidence," Collins said in a statement Wednesday. "It provides a blueprint for election reform and the means to pay for it."
Her amendment could mean at least $20 million to upgrade Maine's registration and voting system, Collins said.
The bill will help to revamp the voting system already in place, giving people the ability to double-check and correct errors before their final votes are cast.
Beginning in the 2004 presidential election, states must provide "provisional ballots" to voters whose names do not appear on registration lists. The ballots would later be counted if the voter's registration was verified.
Voters also will have to show a driver's license or the last four digits of their Social Security number in order to protect against voter fraud.
By 2006, registration information is to be available in a single computerized statewide database linked to the state's driver's license agency.
The centralized voter list will be the biggest change in Maine's voting program, according to Rebecca Wyke, Maine's chief deputy secretary of state.
The state's current system requires each municipal jurisdiction to maintain its own voting list.
"Right now, if a person lives in Portland, he or she is registered to vote in Portland," Wyke said. "If that same person moves to South Portland, he or she would have to register all over again."
The new legislation would provide money to replace punch card and lever voting machines with more modern equipment, improve state election administration and increase polling place access for the disabled.
The bill will also help fund the National Student & Parent Mock Election program for Maine's schools. The program encourages students across the nation to become active in political and civic life.
More than forty million students nationwide and in 14 foreign countries will cast their mock votes online or on paper ballots between October 25 and November 1.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
House Passes Iraq Resolution
By Crystal Bozek and Michelle Kohanloo
WASHINGTON, Oct. 10, 2002--The House gave the green light to President Bush Thursday, granting him the authority to launch a unilateral military action against Iraq. An overwhelming number of Democrats voted against the resolution, including Maine Rep. John E. Baldacci and Rep. Thomas H. Allen, despite the fact that Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt was one of its authors.
The resolution, passed 296-133, calls on the United Nations to enforce strict rules on inspecting and eliminating Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. It also requires Bush to inform Congress, no more than 48 hours after initiating military attack, on why diplomatic efforts were ineffective.
Allen, a member of the Armed Services Committee, disagreed with the resolution because, he said, it gives Bush a "blank check" for a unilateral attack on Iraq without his having to consult Congress any further.
"The classified briefings I have received do not lead me to conclude that the threat is imminent," Allen said on Tuesday. "We have time to work with our allies to enforce U.N. resolutions."
Allen, along with Baldacci, voted for a Democratic alternative proposal sponsored by South Carolina Rep. John Spratt, which the House rejected, 155-270, on Thursday. The proposal would have approved the use of U.S. forces in conjunction with U.N. approval of action against Iraq but would have forced the president to come back for a second vote if he wanted to act unilaterally.
"To support the President and to build a powerful allied force against Iraq, I voted for the Spratt resolution," Baldacci said in a written statement. "Its strong approach offered the most effective way to accomplish these goals."
Baldacci, a staunch supporter of a multilateral coalition, said he believed that "it offers the best chance to effectively disarm Saddam Hussein."
The Senate was expected to approve the White House-backed resolution Thursday night or Friday.
Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins said she decided to vote in favor of the Bush resolution after extensive discussions with Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"He has convinced me that the prospects for effective action by the United Nations to disarm Iraq depend on the credible threat of the use of force, and that is the reason I will cast my vote in favor of this resolution," Collins said in a prepared statement Thursday.
Collins urged Bush to continue exploring all means of non-military action to disarm Iraq, but she said she was not averse to the president's ordering military strikes as a last resort.
"As difficult as the decision to authorize military action is, one need only consider how much more difficult it will be when Saddam has a nuclear bomb," Collins said.
Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe announced her support for the White House-backed resolution early Wednesday.
"By granting military authority to the president in advance, it leaves no question or uncertainty as to the level of our commitment - thereby strengthening the president's ability to secure U.N. implementation of a new and enforceable resolution," Snowe said.
Bush applauded the House's approval of the resolution late Thursday afternoon.
"Today's vote sends a clear message to the Iraqi regime: It must disarm and comply with all existing U.N. resolutions, or it will be forced to comply," Bush said.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Maine Delegation says ‘Save Military Strike as Last Resort’
WASHINGTON, Oct. 09, 2002--The battle over the future of Saddam Hussein's regime continued Wednesday at the Capitol, with Republican Sen. Olympia J. Snowe saying she planned to vote for the resolution supported by President Bush authorizing the United States to use force against Iraq.
Snowe said that "in the shadowy world of terrorism" there is great difficulty in tracking and intercepting weapons of mass destruction. She questioned where the line should be drawn when determining imminent threat.
"But how will we know when the danger is clear, present and immediate? When people start checking into hospitals? When the toxin shows up in the water supply? When the dirty bomb goes off?" Snowe asked.
The resolution was expected to pass both houses of Congress within about a week's time.
Snowe emphasized that Iraq poses a threat not only to the United States but also to the entire international community, especially since U.N. weapons inspectors were withdrawn from Iraq four years ago.
"I believe the world must disarm Saddam Hussein now, when the development of his capability is imminent-not waiting until it is imminent he is about to strike," Snowe said.
Snowe said unilateral military action should be a "last resort" tactic and that Bush must invest every last effort in organizing an international coalition against Saddam Hussein.
"By granting military authority to the president in advance, it leaves no question or uncertainty as to the level of our commitment-thereby strengthening the president's ability to secure U.N. implementation of a new and enforceable resolution," Snowe said.
Rep. Thomas H. Allen, a Democrat, disagreed with the president's resolution because, he said, it provides a "blank check" for unilateral attack on Iraq without a vote in Congress.
"We are being used as a megaphone to communicate the president's resolve," Allen said. "We should have a larger role. An equal role."
Allen joined South Carolina Democrat Rep. John M. Spratt in co-sponsoring an alternative resolution this week that would require the president to consult Congress on a unilateral strike should U.N. actions prove inadequate.
"In the war on terrorism, we need more friends and allies and fewer enemies," Allen said. "We are unlikely to succeed through unilateral, pre-emptive policies so poorly received overseas."
Democratic Rep. John E. Baldacci supports the Spratt-Allen resolution for multilateral cooperation against Iraq.
"It is a workable resolution, which neither ties the president's hands nor promotes unilateral action by the United States," Baldacci said.
Allen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said that he does not believe the Iraqi threat is imminent based on the information he received in classified briefings.
"In the past year terrorism has threatened us as never before. We should face that new threat resolutely, but not frighten our own people by overstating the risk to Americans," Allen said.
Republican Sen. Susan M. Collins was unavailable for comment, but was scheduled to speak on the Senate floor Thursday morning.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Hathaway a Miss in D.C.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 02, 2002--The poster for the new Hathaway retail store in the nation's capital shows off a handsome young man: sharply dressed, wearing a crisp Hathaway shirt and tie. The poster reads, "Support America in Style. Hathaway. Made in the USA since 1837."
Since its grand opening last month, the Hathaway store in downtown Washington remains in a disorganized state. The trademark button-down shirts are stacked messily on the shelves, still wrapped in plastic. An untidy array of neckties is displayed on a circular wooden table, and bowties hang in the corner of the small store on Connecticut Avenue.
"That shirt in the window looks sick," Marcus Lincoln, 19, said referring to a wrinkled button-down shirt and tie. Lincoln, who was dressed in a muscle-shirt, is the store's only salesman.
The Hathaway clothes are only part of the store's meager inventory. Other items in the store, including boxer shorts and plain cotton shirts, are from companies that make clothing in the United States such as Sweat X, based in Los Angeles, and No Fly Zone.
"I can't push sales with a store looking like this," Lincoln said.
The Made in the USA Foundation owns Hathaway's two retail shops, one of which is located in Freeport. The Hathaway merchandise is being sold at full price in the Washington location, even though the factory in Maine is expected to close permanently on Oct.18. Meanwhile, the foundation chairman, Joel Joseph, has said his organization is still trying to buy the company.
Joseph said in a phone interview that since the shop is small, with only one salesman, the store would remain closed on a normal business day "if an employee calls in sick."
Lincoln said that according to Joseph, an expected shipment of merchandise is on its way to the Washington store. "He said that shipment was coming. It was supposed to arrive last week," Lincoln said. "It's probably his [Joseph's] fault."
The shop is supposed to be open for business seven days a week, but it was closed on Tuesday. Joseph is scheduled to work Mondays and Tuesdays at the D.C. store, according to Lincoln, who works from Wednesdays to Sundays.
Joseph did not return a follow-up phone call for comment on Lincoln's remarks.
Overall, Hathaway's century-old solid reputation of fine quality shirts does not seem to make a difference in some people's eyes.
"It's still $45 a shirt," Lincoln said. "You can go right around the corner to Filene's Basement to buy a shirt for less."
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Maine Woman Honored as ‘Angel in Adoption’
WASHINGTON, Sept. 24, 2002--Four years ago, Jan Riddle and her husband, Rob, brought home a six-month-old baby boy whose only possession was his dirty blanket.
"The case worker gave me twenty dollars to get him through the night," Riddle, of Belfast, said. "He didn't come with anything - not even a paper bag."
The judge ordered the infant back after 10 days. Riddle reluctantly placed his new belongings in a garbage bag for him. It was a moment Riddle would never forget, and it became the inspiration for her work with foster children.
Although glittering banquets are commonplace in the nation's capital, it's not every day that adoption heroes are nominated for an award by their members of Congress. Riddle was one of 277 honorees at the annual Angels in Adoption ceremony sponsored by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) Tuesday night.
The event gives congressional leaders a chance to spotlight people from their state or district who make key contributions toward highlighting adoption and foster care.
Riddle, nominated by Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine, was celebrated for her Kits for Kids program. She attended the gala with her eight-year-old daughter Kelleigh, and recently adopted her four-year-old son, Sean, who came to the family from the foster system in 1998.
Kits for Kids provides each foster child with a "KidPack" filled with essential items like toiletries, clothes, and a stuffed animal. The care pack also contains a children's book by Riddle called "Sam Has a New Home Just Like You."
Riddle was a guest on the Rosie O'Donnell Show in May to talk about her book, which is available only to Maine foster children, without charge. Since her appearance, Riddle has received over 2,000 e-mails of support for her program.
"Jan's work has helped many frightened children through their first night in a new environment," Snowe said in a written statement.
Kits for Kids started as simple donations from friends and relatives but soon became a community effort. The duffel bags, once filled with used clothes, are now packed with new items, thanks to donations and monetary gifts.
Nearly 550,000 children in the United States are in the foster care system, according to the CCAI.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Mainers March in D.C. for More Cancer-Related Funding
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Maine's congressional delegation responded favorably to the message delivered by 16 Mainers who arrived at the Capitol on Thursday for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life: Celebration on the Hill: help intensify national support for cancer spending and research.
The group from Maine, equipped with gifts of foam lobster claw headbands and Relay For Life Bus toy replicas, joined thousands of volunteers at the grassroots event geared toward supporting legislation to promote increased cancer research and more money for treatment as well as uniting those whose lives have been touched by the disease.
The volunteers are pressing Congress to boost spending for the National Cancer Institute and for cancer-related programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are also working toward doubling the budget of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and providing resources for the newly formed National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
The purple t-shirted volunteers, known as relay community ambassadors, represented all 50 states. Each state decorated its own tent with banners honoring cancer survivors and victims, quilts and special touches unique to the state.
Democratic Rep. John E. Baldacci, who also has participated in Relay For Life events in Old Town and Farmington, met with volunteers at the Maine tent to show his support for the fight against cancer.
"The research is so vitally important," Baldacci said in a phone interview Thursday. "We need to make sure that we continue to put the resources there and beef up the clinical trials, and to get more help in our area would be just tremendous."
One of Democratic Rep. Tom Allen's major concerns is the cost of prescription medicine, particularly chemotherapy and cancer drugs.
"He supports efforts to include screening and other preventive methods through Medicare, as well as increased funding for the NIH," said a spokesman for Allen, who was on a plane back to Maine and unavailable for comment.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins met briefly on Capitol Hill with volunteers, posing for photographs and thanking them for their dedication. Collins has co-sponsored several bills for cancer research, including the National Cancer Act of 2002 together with California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
"It is important to take legislative action in support of increased funding for federal cancer research and research application, prevention initiatives, expanded access to care and early detection program," Collins said in a statement Thursday.
Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, a proponent of health and cancer research, met with the Maine Relay for Life Ambassadors at the Capitol.
"We know that early detection and prevention can pay tremendous dividends in fighting cancer. By taking steps like passing the National Cancer Act, we can target our resources and screening to preventative measures that can provide the biggest bang for the federal buck," she said in a statement issued Thursday.
Snowe was honored Thursday by the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists and the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance for her work on cancer-related issues.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Maine Delegation Supports Bush’s New Direction
WASHINGTON, Sept. 12, 2002--Members of Maine's congressional delegation applauded President Bush's willingness to cooperate with the United Nations on the possibility of striking against Iraq.
Bush addressed the U.N. General Assembly Thursday in an effort to make a clear case before the international community on the need to take swift action against the Iraqi regime.
"Today, President Bush forcefully and definitively framed how Saddam Hussein's regime has systematically flouted 16 separate U.N. Security Council resolutions and international law over the past decade," said Sen. Olympia Snowe (R).
Snowe also said that Bush's address will open important communications between Congress and the United Nations on Iraq's future.
Snowe also commended Bush for "calling on the Security Council to enforce all of its resolutions, and demand that Saddam Hussein comply."
Sen. Susan Collins (R) said in a written statement that she believes Bush's speech shows that his administration is on the right track.
"It is important he continue consulting with our allies, Congress and the American people as he develops a case for a possible strike again," Collins said.
All members of the Maine congressional delegation stressed the importance of multilateral cooperation. Rep. John Baldacci (D) said in a press release that he wants to see all efforts moving in a timely manner to ensure success.
"The president was very forceful in urging the U.N. to compel Iraq to comply with the U.N.," Baldacci said in an interview. "It's important for the U.N. to go in unfettered to be able to make sure that once and for all the treaty from the Gulf War that was signed by Iraq be adhered to and certified."
Rep. Tom Allen (D) also agreed that Bush is taking the right steps to open a new debate over how exactly to deal with Iraq. But he does not believe the United States is in immediate danger.
"While Iraq's continued development of weapons of mass destruction is a real concern, I have yet to see compelling evidence that it presents a direct and urgent threat to the United States," Allen said.
Allen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he has been involved in several classified meetings with U.S. intelligence officials about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program, as well as in hearings with two former U.N. weapons inspectors.
"We have time to consider all the policy options and to work in concert with the international community," Allen said in a press release.
Allen also has raised questions about Iraq's future should Hussein's regime topple. "What happens to Iraq?" he said in an interview. "If we think Afghanistan is hard to reconstruct, I know Iraq is likely to be more difficult."
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
