Category: Spring 2003 Newswire
On The Fast Track
By Kim Forrest
WASHINGTON–Kate Käufer moves fast. She’s run a marathon, loves to cycle and participates in any sporting event she can.
But her athletic prowess is not the only thing that makes Käufer speedy.
In less than five years, Käufer, 28, has gone from being a congressional aide to an analyst on homeland security issues. She is about to get her master’s degree in security policy studies at George Washington University, and she has received a fellowship to work for the federal government.
Käufer was born in Germany to a German father and an American mother, Christopher and Marie Käufer, who now live in Roxbury. She said her love of global politics stems from her own mixing of cultures.
“Growing up as an American in Germany, you’re by default part of international relations. There’s a world that opens up to you,” she said with a smile. “That’s where I got my start, I guess. Just reading a lot of [news]papers.”
She also gained her tenacity from fending off four older brothers.
“Older brothers usually meant a lot of teasing,” she said. “But I also toughened up.”
Käufer earned an earlier master’s degree in linguistics, political science and U.S. history from the University of Cologne. Then she obtained a congressional fellowship offered by the American Political Science Association – her ticket to Washington.
After more than two decades in Germany, Käufer said getting used to the fast-paced U.S. capital – she called it “a shark pond” — was tough.
“I would say that I grew up in a more reserved surrounding in Germany, and it took me a while to adjust to what I would describe as American frankness,” she said. “It wasn’t exactly difficult, but it took time to transition and adjust to the different mentality and social interaction.”
Washington, she said, is “a strange city. It took me a while to get used to the style of it. But I like it a lot; it has a lot to offer. It can be very intellectually stimulating. It can also be very partisan.”
Her major complaint, however, has nothing to do with politics.
“The weather,” she said with a scowl. “It’s horrible.”
Käufer came to the muggy capital city in 1998 to work as a legislative assistant for then- Rep. Bill Luther (D-MN). She specialized in defense, international affairs and trade issues.
“There’s always something going on. You have to be able to think on the run,” Käufer said. “I liked working for [Luther]. He was a good person and a good member, and that means a lot.”
Luther had equally praiseworthy words about Käufer.
“She was just outstanding. A wonderfully committed young person who worked in my office,” he said. “I know that she ahs a great future ahead of her. She loved the legislative process in Congress. Everyone in my office relied on her for knowing minute to minute what was going on on the floor.”
After working for about three years on Capitol Hill, Käufer became a policy analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, an independent organization that analyzes the federal government’s work on such issues as arms control, weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missile defense and terrorism.
Käufer helped write the center’s Terrorism Prevention Handbook. Released last October, the handbook reviews federal programs aimed at combating terrorism and how they were funded. She said the goal was to make the handbook easy for ordinary citizens to understand.
“We sort of started it from a concerned citizens’ perspective,” Käufer explained. “As a citizen living in D.C., I obviously want to be protected from a terrorist attack. And I want to know what the government is doing to protect me from a terrorist attack.”
Käufer’s boss, Erik Floden, director of the center’s terrorism project, said she was an integral part of the project.
“She’s doing great,” he said. “She and I work more as a team, more than a boss- subordinate kind of thing.”
Käufer said that the government is trying to prevent terrorist attacks by safeguarding buildings and improving airline security. But she said it also is important for the United States to help economically struggling countries where terrorism could grow.
“You can make the case that poverty, disenchantment and not having freedom of speech fosters, or at least creates a culture that could support, terrorism,” she said.
Käufer, who lives near the Capitol, said she is not afraid of another attack.
“What are you going to do? Live your life in fear?” she asked rhetorically. “There could be a terrorist attack, but people are dying of other causes every day. Am I not going to drive my car because I’m afraid of car accidents? I can’t do that.”
Despite a jam-packed schedule – or maybe because of it — Käufer tries to make time to unwind by listening to classical music, an interest she inherited from her father. She also visits her parents in New Hampshire a few times a year.
“I love going up there,” she said. “It’s beautiful.”
Although she’s been in Washington most of her adult life, Käufer still is energized by the capital. She remembers feeling humbled and excited the first time she walked down the halls of congressional office buildings.
“I hope I never ever lose that fascination in government,” she said.
There’s one thing Käufer has gotten used to.
“You do see ‘important’ people all the time, and it gets kind of normal. I’ll go to my cleaner, and there’ll be a senator standing there,” she says. “If you live in Hollywood, you see all the movie stars. Well, if you live here, you’ll see government officials all the time.”
So what’s next? Käufer seems certain about the direction of her career.
“I want to work for the federal government and I will be working for the federal government,” she said, bluntly.
When Käufer receives her master’s degree, she will begin the Presidential Management Intern Program, which will allow her to work for a federal agency. She hopes to continue her focus on national security.
That’s for now. Käufer has bigger, long-term plans.
“National security adviser Käufer,” she said with a laugh. “Sounds pretty good to me.”
Published in The Keene Sentinel, in New Hampshire.
New Hampshire Lawmakers Say House Plays Significant Role
By Daniel Remin
WASHINGTON — When President Bush needs something from Congress these days, he has to negotiate with the Senate, where Democrats and moderate Republicans have the power to block White House proposals. That has left some House members feeling as if they don't matter.
But not New Hampshire's two Republican House members, Charlie Bass and Jeb Bradley.
"I don't feel irrelevant at all," Bradley, a freshman, said in an interview.
Bass and Bradley said the House has played a crucial role in passing key legislation, and they do make a difference.
"I think that the House has set the agenda for the last 10 years in a very significant manner," Bass said in an interview. "Big changes occurred in the manner in which this country is governed as a result of what Congress has done and, hopefully, will continue to do."
The House, which is under strong Republican control, still often works with the White House to set the agenda. But because Republicans have only a two-seat majority in the Senate, and because Senate rules often require them to team up with some Democrats to get anything done, the balance of power has shifted to that less predictable chamber.
"There's a lot of truth to the notion, almost inevitably, that the House has been very reliable for the president," said Norm Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a nonpartisan, public-policy think tank in Washington. "To make it that way," he said, Bush and Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, R-TX, "have had to lean heavily on many of their members. But they've made it happen."
Ornstein said Bush has to negotiate with the Senate, while moving the House "as far to the right" as he can to gain bargaining leverage. Because House Republicans know they're "going to vote with them no matter what, people feel as if they're being taken for granted, pushed around and treated as fodder," he said. "It's not surprising there's some pushback now. There's kind of a plea for a little more recognition of who they are, maybe even a little more sweet-talking."
Among other things, Bass said, the House has led the way to pass Bush's first round of tax cuts (though others are still under debate); the No Child Left Behind Act, which increases academic standards in schools; and legislation that tripled spending for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provides children with disabilities with more educational resources and access to schools.
Bass credited House Republicans for many changes made after the GOP took control in 1995.
"The concept of a balanced budget," Bass said, "the concept of rebuilding our defense, being proactive in times of economic recession rather than just sitting on one's hands and fretting, which usually happened prior to 1995, is all a result of Congress' willingness to be aggressive in setting the agenda. (A) Medicare prescription drug plan has come out of the House twice now. That's not how I define irrelevant."
Bradley said he is "extraordinarily grateful for the opportunity to have a role to play in trying to move our nation forward to improve our national security to win the war on terrorism."
Bradley added that he believes the top issue facing the government now is how best to keep Americans safe. Other significant issues include stimulating the economy and reforming health care.
Ornstein also said that the House is not totally unimportant.
"All the tax bills originate there (the House), and they have had some significant role, so it's not as if they're completely powerless," he said. "But the fact is the attitude of this White House is that the policies emanate from the White House, the priorities emanate from the White House. Members of Congress and the Republicans in the leadership are their field lieutenants and their field generals. After awhile, many of them at least begin to want to assert their own independence."
Because House Republicans have strong control over the chamber - there are 229 Republicans, 205 Democrats and one independent -- House Democrats have little say over what happens there, according to Ornstein. In the Senate, Republicans enjoy only a slim majority - they have 51 of 100 seats -- so Democrats have more leverage.
"The Democrats have felt completely marginalized in the House by the Republicans," Ornstein said. "That's even true (of) the so-called 'blue dogs,' the centrist or more conservative Democrats. Now more than ever, Republicans don't need them. They can do it all on their own."
Bass and Bradley said that, for the most part, House members are united.
"I think we're very united, with a few problems," Bass said. "We're united on our supplemental budget, on support of the troops and on support of this president. I don't think there's any reason why we can't disagree on other things that don't relate to national security."
(Daniel Remin is an intern with the Boston University Washington News Service.)
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Collins Meets With Maine Soldiers in North Korea
WASHINGTON – The soldiers at Warrior Base, just a few miles from the Korean
demilitarized zone, keep watch near a barbed wire fence that separates North Korea from South Korea. A nearby field is littered with land mines. North Korean tunnels, discovered by the U.S. military, burrow under the border at key spots.
Sen. Susan Collins (R.-Me.) traveled to the DMZ this week as part of a four-country tour to assess America's dealings with North Korea, which recently restarted its primary nuclear plant. In a telephone interview Wednesday from South Korea, Collins said she welcomed the Bush administration's decision to send a U.S. representative to Beijing next week to open diplomatic talks with North Korea.
Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is one of eight senators spending the week in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China. The group has been meeting with diplomats as well as U.S. troops stationed in East Asia.
On Wednesday, Black Hawk helicopters carried the senators to Warrior Base and Osan Air Base, about 45 miles from the DMZ. At Osan, Collins met Maj. Sgt. Jay Mason of China, Me., who told her he was on his second tour in Korea, a "hardship post" that typically requires just one year of service. Collins said other soldiers told her their time in South Korea had been extended involuntarily because the war in Iraq had reduced the number of troops available to take their places.
"They weren't at all complaining, just informing," the senator said, adding that the soldiers were proud of the work of their colleagues in Iraq. "Morale is high."
Collins said was disturbed by the quality of housing on the bases, and that she intends to propose the federal government spend more money to improve existing housing and build more.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.), who headed the delegation to Asia, brought thousands of CDs to distribute to the troops, Collins said.
Collins also said she enjoyed spending time with the troops as they went about their daily routines.
"I had my first MRE," she said, referring to meals ready -to eat that are a regular part of each soldier's diet. "It was a very interesting day."
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
John Sununu: The First 100 Days
WASHINGTON—Although serving his first term as a U.S. Senator, the term "freshman" doesn't seem to fit John Sununu (R-N.H.). After all, he's no stranger to Washington.
Sununu served in the House of Representatives for three consecutive terms before being elected to the Senate in November. His Senate committee assignments, which he describes as "action packed," include seats on the Foreign Relations, Commerce and Banking committees, at the center of some of the most important issues facing the country: national security, the war on terrorism, and economic recovery.
In a session of Congress that has featured conflict and partisan bickering over a host of issues both domestic and foreign, Sununu is excited and motivated by being at the center of the action during his first 100 days.
"What's the most rewarding thing about being in the 108th? That I'm a member of it!" he exclaims with a chuckle. "It's a tough question, especially given the historic time that we've had as a new Congress. As an American, there's nothing more rewarding than what comes from the pride of watching service members in Iraq do their work so successfully."
Sununu has gained a reputation as an up-and-comer: high praise from Congressmen and pundits alike who watched his hard fought campaign against former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen last year. What followed was a media blitz that brought him a lot of national attention, and set up his emergence in the 108th Congress as a determined, focused member of the Senate.
Transitioning from the House to the Senate has forced him to make "big adjustments" in both priorities and time management. Senators have full committee agendas five days a week whereas in the House, he said, a lot of work is wrapped up in the middle of the week so that members can spend as much time as possible in their home districts.
But Sununu said he has not felt dogged by the transition, because he's largely been able to apply the same ideas of "adopting a pace and a discipline for time management" that aided him during his first months at the House.
"No, it hasn't been difficult, it's been exciting, it's been very rewarding and it's even been fun," he said. "It's been an exciting and historic time to be a member of Congress, to say the least. Coming in as I did, regaining the majority … it was seeing the excitement and enthusiasm being carried in the entire Republican conference."
Sununu brings to his new job both enthusiasm and determination. He is a dynamic speaker on the Senate floor, sharp-tongued and unafraid to challenge his opposition. He is an ardent supporter both of the administration's tax cut plan, and what he calls President Bush's "steadfast leadership."
"Leadership is taking tough issues head on and putting forward bold initiatives to get the job done," Sununu said. It is a value, he maintains, that has always been important in his family, the Bush family, and in Washington.
Of course, it definitely doesn't hurt that the Sununu name has been established in Washington for decades (Sununu's father served as both governor of New Hampshire and then as White House chief of staff under President George H. Bush), and that Sununu first forged a now integral relationship with the current president while visiting the Bush family in Kennebunkport, Maine, more than 20 years ago.
"We share some core values - of limited but effective government, low taxes, local control personal responsibility - so on a lot of issues, we're likely to agree," he said.
Bush was a visible presence during Sununu's 2002 campaign and came to New Hampshire twice to show his support. According to Sununu, Bush's visit helped draw voters' attention to his campaign and the issues he was stressing: strong homeland security policies, economic growth, and support of New Hampshire's small businesses.
"Having the President visiting the state helps to get voters more focused on the election and the campaign, and if you take advantage of that, you're able to connect with them," Sununu said in an interview in early March.
Sununu said that one of the most important things to keep in mind when entering Congress is building relationships with other members and also Capitol staff. "Personal relationships are extremely helpful in persuading your colleagues to support your issues," he said.
He has been able to maintain many of the relationships he forged as a House member. The transition, he said, has been easier because he can relate to other members, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), with whom he served in the House. Like Sununu, Graham also won election to the Senate in November.
"It's always nice to go through a process like this with people you know, share your ideas and thoughts, and work together to find out and unravel the mysteries of the Senate," he said.
Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.), himself a fourth term House member, worked closely with Sununu in the House Budget Committee and said he recalls Sununu's tenacity and determination.
"During his years in the House, Senator Sununu distinguished himself as a highly intelligent, thoughtful, and well prepared lawmaker," Bass said in an interview. "These same skills appear to be serving him well in the Senate, where he has gotten rave reviews for his command of Senate floor procedures. I have enjoyed working with him in both capacities on issues important to the people of New Hampshire."
Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H) concurred, saying in a statement that he looks forward to further legislative endeavors with his fellow New Hampshire Senator.
One of Sununu's major focuses has always been national security, and he's been very supportive of the steps the Bush administration has taken including engaging Saddam Hussein's regime in war. He called watching troops enter downtown Baghdad and assist Iraqis a "phenomenal moment."
"There really aren't that many moments that you watch and recognize their historic importance at the same time," he said. "Oftentimes we'll look back and say to ourselves, well, that was a really historic moment or special time, but event like these you recognize their importance then and there."
Sununu said that he watched the U.S. marines and Iraqis jointly felling the statue of Saddam Hussein and it moved him much like watching the Berlin Wall come down.
"Those events are few and far between," he added. "To see the excitement and jubilation was exciting, but even more important, I've been enormously impressed with the professionalism and commitment of the men and women in the service."
Sununu has a lengthy list of priorities over the next year relevant to both the nation and to New Hampshire, including veterans' health care, a transportation bill "that treats New Hampshire equitably," and increased funding for special education.
Sununu says he is determined, especially over the next 100 days, to follow his own advice about being an effective player in Congress.
"It's really about getting yourself plugged in, and saying to yourself: how do I want to influence policy? What kind of an approach and what kind of a legislator do I want to be?"
Published in Foster's Daily Democrat, in New Hampshire.
Bass Visits Injured Marines in Washington
By Daniel Remin
WASHINGTON — On a dark, cloudy morning, Rep. Charlie Bass, R-N.H., helped brighten up the spirits of wounded Marines hospitalized here with some of New Hampshire's maple syrup.
Bass joined about 11 other members of Congress, including House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., in a trip to the National Naval Medical Center in suburban Bethesda, Md., at 7:15 a.m. yesterday to visit Marines injured in the war with Iraq.
"You don't understand just how much courage it takes to do what these Marines are doing until you see wounded Marines and know that this happened in the field under adverse circumstances," Bass said in an interview.
The Congressmen saw about half of the 25 Marines who were brought to the hospital after being injured in Iraq. Most were 19 to 21 years old. None was older than 25.
Bass said most of the wounded Marines told him they were proud to have served their country and that they supported President Bush's decision to wage war.
"They think they're doing something that's going to make a difference for generations in front of them," Bass said.
Some of the Marines were seriously injured. A tank ran over one Marine while he slept in his tent. Hand grenades exploded in the faces of some others. And a bullet pierced the hip of one Marine and exited the other side, Bass said.
A field doctor cut that Marine open to make sure there was no damage to his arteries and then sewed him back up, Bass said. When he saw him at the hospital, Bass added, he was walking.
"Their friends or their fellow soldiers helped save their lives and bring them through a process where, in some instances, even as recently as Operation Desert Storm, (they) would never have survived," he said, referring to America's last war with Iraq a dozen years ago.
"I thought it was a very important part of my understanding and appreciation of the day to see the people who have made these kinds of sacrifices, talk to them about it and find out how they feel," Bass said.
"All of them were very thin," he said. "They explained to us, 'We were this way because if you had to eat what (we've) been eating for the last six weeks, you wouldn't be fat either.' "
Troops in Iraq dine on MREs, or meals ready-to-eat, standard pre-cooked military food.
None of the Marines Bass saw was from New Hampshire. But he said they enjoyed the maple syrup anyway.
"Their faces brightened up, and they thought that was wonderful," Bass said.
He said he and the other lawmakers asked the Marines if they wished to share the stories of how they were wounded.
"You go into the room with them, and you've never met them or know them. They don't know you," Bass said. "You say, 'Thank you, we admire and appreciate your heroism and we're proud of you. Of course, they go, 'Oh yeah, no big deal.' "
But Bass said the Marines were happy and willing to share their accounts.
"I think it makes them feel better that somebody cares," he said.
(Daniel Remin is an intern with the Boston University Washington News Service.)
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Plaistow Man Helps Construct New Visitor Center
By Daniel Remin
WASHINGTON — Stand at the top of the Capitol's Senate steps, and you will see bulldozers and builders hard at work constructing the new Capitol Visitor Center.
For Plaistow native Duane Dumont, who is working on the underground project, just being here is the opportunity of a lifetime.
"I love it down here," Dumont said. "It's got lots of excitement. I love politics, and where better to go than the capital? There's all kinds of things to do. My wife (Fran) and I, we've traveled all over the country. One of the last areas we really haven't spent any time is in the D.C. area."
Describing his opportunity to help build the center, Dumont said, "How can you pass up history?"
The center is being built under the Capitol's East Front and, when it is completed, it will include exhibit space, theaters and an auditorium, all to provide visitors with information about Congress..
Working for Gilbane Construction, the company building the center, the burly Dumont is the senior mechanical coordinator for the project. In that role, he handles the mechanical, electrical and plumbing aspects of the construction.
Dumont said a 30-inch waterline that consists of nearly 3,000 yards of piping has been installed, and work is underway on a utility tunnel that will serve as the entranceway to the center.
Dumont has worked in construction for 23 years, and his job has allowed him to travel, one of his favorite hobbies. "The best part of my job is they pay me to travel," he said. "Wherever we've gone, there's a lot of beautiful stuff to see."
Dumont has lived and worked all over America, from the bustling streets and cities of the Northeast to the vast deserts and forests of the West. Arizona is his favorite place.
"It's just so much history," he said. "I love history, and when you go up in that area, you see the Indians, you see the four points, where you have four states come together, you got the Grand Canyon, you have dinosaur tracks. We spend a lot of time outdoors just doing different types of historic stuff like that."
His love of travel goes beyond where his work has taken him. Two years ago, he surprised his wife with a trip to Hawaii for their 20th wedding anniversary. Fran Dumont said she "loved" it.
Dumont came to the capital about six months ago to work on the center. Before that, he helped construct Building 220, a Pfizer research lab in Groton, Conn., that at the time was the biggest of its kind, he said. More recently, he worked on Nashua North High School. There, he became interested in the Senate campaign of then-House member John E. Sununu, R., N.H.
"I knew his views, and I was just giving views out, and I turned a lot of votes his way," Dumont said.
Later, he met the new senator. "It's just that way. One day, I see him here (Washington), and I congratulate him for being here," Dumont said. "That's how it all started."
Sununu, in a statement, recalled the meeting: "As I was walking across the plaza one morning, a man with a Gilbane Construction helmet stepped up and said, 'Good morning, Senator Sununu.' As I shook his hand, he mentioned that he was from Plaistow. It's always great to see a friendly face from New Hampshire and particularly nice to see involvement in such a significant project."
Dumont brings much experience and expertise to a job he loves.
"He's very knowledgeable, so I'm actually learning a lot from him," said Donna Nottingham, assistant superintendent for the center project. "He's funny, fun to be around. He keeps in tune with what's going on."
Near a street filled with parked cars across from the Russell Senate Office Building sits one of the main feeders for the waterline. Pointing this out, Dumont recalled that parking was banned on the street for some time while workers dug underground to install the pipes.
"That made us very popular on the Senate side," he joked.
Dumont, 43, is a graduate of Timberlane Regional High School in Plaistow and attended the University of New Hampshire's business management school. He got his start in construction working with his brother, who did sheet metal work. Dumont ended up building "clean rooms," the uncontaminated rooms used to manufacture products for pharmaceutical companies and computer chip producers, such as Intel and IBM.
Even when he's not on the job, Dumont likes to do construction work. One of his hobbies is building houses, and he has built two in Maine, his wife's home state.
He and Fran, married 22 years, are living in a half-finished townhouse they bought in Woodbridge, Va., a Washington suburb. Dumont said he's going to finish it while he is working in Washington.
"He just shows really good commitment to issues he believes in, he's a really hard worker, a good family man," Fran said.
The couple has one child, Ethan, 20, a Marine Corps communications officer stationed in Okinawa. Dumont also has a stepdaughter, Jessica, 26, who lives in Boston and is a faculty assistant at Harvard.
As Dumont talks about his son, he opens his jacket to reveal the Marine Corps shirt he is wearing. He says because Ethan is stationed near North Korea, he is not worried that his son will be deployed to Iraq.
As for his own safety in Washington, with the never-ending warnings of terrorist threats, Dumont said he is not too concerned.
"I look at the terrorist threats just like I look at my life," he said. "I could cross the street tomorrow and get hit by a car, so why worry about it?"
Sitting in the construction trailer, his cleanly cropped gray hair slicked back, his hard hat off for the moment, Dumont reflects on his home state. As much as he likes Washington, he said, he prefers the Granite State.
"I wouldn't want to live here forever because (there are) too many people," he said. "Traffic is a big killer. New Hampshire, you're an hour away from the mountains. Seacoasts. I'm big on the ocean, big on the mountains, and you're a half hour, hour away from one or from the other."
However, there are other elements that make Washington more attractive than the often-frigid New England area.
"If I was living in Maine, we'd be bundled up in jackets wondering when the snow's going to melt," Dumont said. Reflecting on a recent trip to nearby Virginia, he said, "Two weeks ago, my wife and I took our two dogs to Manassas, and we were walking the battlefields in T-shirts, seeing history."
His workday lasts 10 hours, and that should soon increase to 12 hours or more once construction of the main building begins. But he does not mind the long hours, the temporary position or the interim stay in the nation's capital, he said.
"The best part I find working in construction, you have your small type (job), where you're always in the same spot," he said. "Then, you have your bigger jobs. Those are my type of jobs. Usually, you have to go to an area to do it. A good example is D.C. It's a three- to five-year job, so I'm guaranteed that I'm going to be in a new location three to five years, and in that time, I can do all the traveling in that area and see all the historic sites."
(Daniel Remin is an intern with the Boston University Washington News Service.)
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Connecticut Dems, Other House Members Endorse Lieberman’s Candidacy
By Bill Yelenak
WASHINGTON – Eleven House Democrats, including the two from Connecticut, on Thursday endorsed Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman's run for president.
In addition to Reps. John Larson (D-1) and Rosa DeLauro (D-3), the House Democrats endorsing Lieberman were Dennis Cardoza of California, Brad Carson of Oklahoma, Ed Case of Hawaii, Cal Dooley of California, Eliot Engel of New York, William Lipinski of Illinois, Steven Rothman of New Jersey, Ellen Tauscher of California and Robert Wexler of Florida.
"This is in the long march along the road to the White House. This is a very big day to me," Lieberman (D-Conn.) told the House members. "You have joined me in that march and I'd say you have given my stride a little bit of a kick, a little wind behind the back."
The two Connecticut House members told the group assembled in a Washington hotel meeting room that Lieberman was the right person to defeat President Bush in November 2004.
Larson said that while several Congress members and administration officials addressed a defense conference in Munich earlier this year, the "longest and most sustained applause came from the statesmanlike delivery of the need for hands-on foreign policy delivered by Sen. Lieberman."
Lieberman is "known here as the conscience of the Senate" and "known across the country as a man of conviction," Larson said. He praised Lieberman's performance as Connecticut's former attorney general.
"He took that office … and used it in such a manner that he reached out and touched consumers and assisted them to make sure that they got appropriate services," Larson said.
"And he also is not a bad singer, I might add," Larson joked.
DeLauro called Lieberman a "trusted friend" and said she was "so very proud to stand alongside him.
"He is a man of faith who has been a special leader in the state of Connecticut and is one of the most powerful and one of the most trusted voices in the United States Senate," DeLauro said. "He understands that public policy must be backed by values and virtue of America's families."
She added that Lieberman "understands the critical role that the United States plays in this world today. He is strong for defense and he understands the importance of diplomacy in the conduct of our foreign affairs."
The other House members praised Lieberman's character and dedication. "In America, it still matters if you're the best at what you do," Rothman said. "Joe is the best, and that's why we're endorsing him."
Cardoza, who is in his first term, said Lieberman "is going to make a great president because he's a man of integrity and strong moral values." Cardoza said that during his closely contested House race last fall, he invited all the prospective Democratic presidential contenders to come to his district and campaign with him. Lieberman was the only one who went.
"He took the time to actually come and spend the day campaigning with me," Cardoza said. "My constituents … fell in love with him."
Lieberman promised the House members he would try his hardest to win the party's nomination and thanked them for their assistance.
"I pledge to you that I will do all I can in the next two years to vindicate the confidence that you have expressed in me today and to live up to the very kind words you have spoken about my record and my hopes for America," Lieberman said.
Lieberman, who was the Democrats' vice presidential nominee in 2000, also stressed the importance of getting voters to the polls. Former Vice President Gore, who topped the ticket, won the popular voted nationwide but lost the presidency following a vote-counting controversy in Florida. The loss of that state - the U.S. Supreme Court stopped a lengthy recount battle -- cost Gore the majority in the Electoral College, which ultimately determines the victor.
"Being an alumnus of the national campaign of 2000, I can tell you every vote counts -- if every vote is counted," Lieberman said. Then, turning to his Florida colleague, he added, "Wexler has assured me … that every vote in Florida will be counted" in 2004.
Bill Yelenak, a Boston University student, works at the Boston University Washington News Service in Washington, D.C. His telephone number is 202-756-2860 ext: 114 and his email is byelenak@newbritainherald.com.
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
Maine’s Moderate Republican Senators Stand By Centrist Position
WASHINGTON—Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine always have been considered "moderate" Republicans who at times disagree with their more conservative Senate colleagues. But since the start of the 108th Congress in January, so closely divided that the Republicans have a mere two-vote majority, Snowe and Collins along with a small group of centrist Republicans have gained the considerable power to determine the outcome of Senate votes.
The centrist Republicans-- Snowe, Collins, George Voinovich of Ohio, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, John McCain of Arizona and Norm Coleman of Minnesota-add an element of drama and unpredictability to many Senate votes and were largely responsible for slashing President Bush's proposed tax cut.
The Republican moderates have wielded a significant amount of power since the GOP took control of the chamber this year. Because Republicans have a razor-thin majority - there are 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats and one independent - and because they usually need 60 votes just to get a bill to the Senate floor, the centrists easily can derail legislation or have a significant impact on its content.
Along with Voinovich and Chafee, Snowe joined Senate Democrats in voting 51-48 to halve Bush's proposed $726 billion tax cut to $350 billion. Though criticized by her Republican colleagues for breaking with the party, Snowe has stood her ground, maintaining that the $350 billion was a good compromise and would do much to "cushion the cost of the war" in Iraq.
Snowe, who chairs the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee and is also a member of the Senate Commerce and Finance committees, declined to be interviewed for this article. Her spokesman, Dave Lackey, said siding with the other party "can be difficult sometimes….But the ultimate goal is to lead from the middle to pass legislation that makes a difference for the American people."
He said Snowe was concerned the larger tax cut would lead to a double-dip recession and a slow economic recovery. The senator sees the smaller tax cut as a short-term stimulus that would "encourage growth in the economy without ballooning long-term federal deficits."
Snowe has come under considerable pressure from fellow Republicans - including Bush and Vice President Cheney - as well as from conservative journalists. Bush and Cheney called Snowe and Voinovich into the Oval Office last week, in an attempt to change their minds on the tax cuts. A Wall Street Journal editorial, meanwhile, called the three who sided with Democrats "Daschle Republicans," referring to Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D.-S.D.).
Sen. John Breaux, a moderate Louisiana Democrat and one of the tailors of the $350 billion compromise in the Senate, praised Snowe for holding her ground.
"A lot of people were not able to resist the pressure she was under, with calls from the president and vice president," Breaux said in a statement. "By sticking together, it shows how you can be vital and influential."
Collins, who had previously been critical of the size of the tax cut, eventually voted for Bush's $726 billion tax proposal, saying it was impossible to determine how to stimulate the economy without seeing what effect the war in Iraq will have.
Collins, who chairs the Governmental Affairs Committee, also was not available for an interview. Collins said in a statement that she felt that her centrist colleagues are not "wedded to a specific ideology" and that allows them to forge consensus by working with members on both sides of the aisle.
Aides to both Snowe and Collins said the senators look for ways to make Congress work efficiently, and that "leading from the middle"-that is, being a moderate force in the Senate-is one way to do so.
"Sen. Snowe is one who has always believed in the philosophy of making government work," Lackey said. "There are probably as many economic plans and ideas as there are senators in Congress, but at the end of the day, she would like to see one that reflects the majority of the Senate, that will keep Congress on a prudent course."
Stephen Hess, an expert on Congress at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the power yielded by the moderate Republicans is "true of course, but it is also a power to be used awfully cautiously."
Republican moderates are using their newfound power "very gingerly," Hess said, "but it is definitely happening."
President Bush certainly is not happy when fellow Republicans vote against him and
Hess said that Bush is a "president who knows how to crack the whip." But, he added, Bush also needs to know how to "treat moderate Republicans with more sensitivity" in order to win them over.
Published in Foster's Daily Democrat, in New Hampshire.
Jeb Bradley: The First 100 Days
WASHINGTON—As Rep. Jeb Bradley returns to his office after a long day on the House floor, a man is climbing on his furniture.
One of Bradley's aides is supporting this well-tailored individual with a single hand on his back, as the visitor tries to balance on a burgundy leather couch, above which there hangs an enormous relief map of New Hampshire.
"I can't pinpoint quite where the dividing line is," the man says to the staff member, who is struggling to help him see where New Hampshire's first district begins and ends so the visitor can determine whether he is one of Bradley's constituents.
"Can I help you?" Bradley asks, suddenly a presence in the doorway.
"My name's Jeb Bradley. How can I help you today?" he says, extending a hand to the man, who comes down from the couch.
Bradley smiles and gives his attention to the visitor, who seems first surprised and then warmed by the exchange.
Whatever tension the awkward meeting could have produced vanishes. But that's really no surprise.
A tension-filled atmosphere has no place in Jeb Bradley's office, and a tense reception is the last thing you could ever expect from the freshman Congressman himself, who, although he will mark his first 100 days in Congress on April 17, is already gaining a reputation as an approachable, straight-shooting representative.
Bradley has been on the House floor and running around to appointments all day, and in the little downtime he has available he and his staff have been glued to the television. It is a historic day: the news media keep replaying shots of U.S. marines and Iraqis tearing down the large statue of Saddam Hussein in downtown Baghdad. Everyone in the room shares a silent frisson over the image, history in the making.
"You picked a good day to come in," he says to a visiting reporter as the statue falls on screen for the umpteenth time that day. "This is a historic day, and watching the people of Iraq reclaim their country is really very invigorating. I had chills going up my spine watching this process."
Asked to sum up his first 100 days in office, he gestures again toward the television screen.
"For me, I guess, the first 100 really culminate today," he says. "The liberation of Baghdad has occurred, there's still going to be military action, yes, but we're going to be able to start rebuilding, and the Iraqi people will take back control of their government. I'm pretty happy about where we are."
Bradley's first 100 days as a member of Congress have been no routine affair and have literally involved life and death issues. In just three months, the United States has waged war in Iraq and there have been dramatic partisan clashes on a number of major issues.
Bradley asserts that adjusting to his new job in such a climate has not been easy, but says he's grateful for the opportunity to serve New Hampshire. Bradley talks of his commitment to keeping up what he calls "his end of the bargain with the people of New Hampshire."
He says that he has received a lot of help from New Hampshire's other Congressmen, Rep. Charlie Bass and Sens. Judd Gregg and John Sununu. "They've all been there," he says. "They know what this is like." He also draws upon his years of experience in
the New Hampshire Legislature to ease the transition.
"There are a lot of procedural differences between the New Hampshire legislature and Congress, and I have to learn a lot of procedural nuances," he says. "Going from being a chairman of a legislative committee to the new kid on the block is a major adjustment."
It's not having too many expectations about the job, he says, that have kept him from getting overwhelmed.
"I've told a lot of people this. I focused so much on issues and the campaign and the process of getting elected that even though I think I've hit the ground running and ready to go, I didn't have too many expectations about what it was going to be like," he says. "I came here ready to absorb as much as I could, and I came really with an open mind."
Bradley is a firm believer in the adage "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it," and by keeping that in mind, he has tried not to get bogged down in the process of being a new Congressman and to stay focused on the issues important to him and enjoy the job.
"There's really no key, there's no secret, no single answer that helps you automatically be effective in the House or the Senate," Sununu, who has been a senator only since January but had three terms in the House before this year, said in an interview
Sununu stressed learning rules and procedure early, so that "once you understand the process you can decide how you want to be effective for your state. "Every member of Congress has to go through the process of figuring out how they want to influence and shape policy and decide what kind of a legislator they want to be."
When Sununu was a freshman in the House in 1997, he said, a combination of learning the procedure and forging relationships not only with congressional colleagues but also with Capitol Hill staff helped him.
Bradley says he has spent much time "doing his homework" and not getting up in the House just to make big speeches. "There'll come a day for that," he says.
Nevertheless, he says, his "thrilling" first months have been punctuated by such highlights as being part of the 215-212 vote on President Bush's tax cut proposal and presiding at one of the House's after-hours sessions weeks ago.
"I think in a lot of ways it's the House that's setting the agenda in Congress," he says, "and the Senate that's reacting to it," citing the recent House passage of Bush's budget. "I don't see it as anything where the House plays second fiddle at all."
Bradley says his top legislative priorities over the next year are securing homeland security, getting the economy back on track and providing affordable health care. He is determined, he says, to keep a clear focus and not be thwarted by the process and by partisan bickering.
"Jeb came to Congress with a lot more experience, at least that I can remember, than either of his two predecessors," Bass said in an interview. "He really understands how to be effective, not to expect certain things and how to work with people. Some Congressmen get paranoid or pretentious about asking advice, but not Jeb; he's happy to ask it and happy to receive it."
Bradley says he tries to let "the facts determine the situation, and I guess that's always been the way I've tried to judge each issue: based on facts, not emotions."
It's a strategy he also applies in dealing with any worries about the pressure of getting re-elected every two years.
"I wouldn't call it pressure," Bradley says. "It's part of the job, and while it's tougher for members, it's good for the country, and that's first and foremost why we're here. Again, be careful what you wish for…."
Published in Foster's Daily Democrat, in New Hampshire.
Wilton Girl Begins Lyme Disease Treatment After Prolonged Process With HMO
By Paul Ziobro
WASHINGTON – Patience and persistence paid off for a Weston family, whose child plans to begin potentially life-changing treatments Sunday following a five-month long appeal process with their health care provider.
For more than half her life, eight-year-old Rachel Tessler's health has been deteriorating due to Lyme disease, which has contributed to her current movement disorders and mental decline, her mother, Sharon Tessler, said.
"Her memory of herself has always been as someone who's sick," her mother Sharon Tessler said. "She doesn't really remember what it's like to be the energetic kid she was and not have these disorders."
When intravenous antibiotics failed, the Tesslers fought to persuade their HMO, Health Net, to cover an expensive, experimental treatment recommended by several doctors. The Shelton, Conn.-based company agreed Monday to provide at least a six-month trial phase of the treatment, which the Tesslers are "excited about and hoping everything goes smoothly," Sharon Tessler said.
Because of the experimental nature of the treatment and Rachel's rare combination of conditions, Health Net wanted to take extra precautions, including consulting several specialized doctors, before signing off on intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment, according to company spokespeople. IVIG is a process that would boost a deficient immune system to help it accept antibiotics better.
"This is the outcome we wanted. Independent physicians working with the Tessler family and coming to a place where everyone was comfortable with the course of treatment and evaluation," Health Net spokeswoman Alice Ferreira said.
Rachel probably contracted Lyme disease when a deer tick bit her cheek on her 4th birthday, Sharon said, but the main visual symptom of the disease-a red, slowly expanding "bull's-eye" rash, according to the Center for Disease Control-never materialized. The disease went undiagnosed for two years as Rachel was scuttled to specialists for pains in her knees and feet, an inability to concentrate, insomnia and "awake seizures," where her body would flail for up to an hour, Sharon said.
"The first time it (an awake seizure) happened, my husband (Brad) and I held her legs down and her toes started to move, and she was going, 'Make this stop! Make this stop!" Sharon said.
Rachel's Lyme disease had proliferated without proper treatment for so long that it spread to her spinal fluid and brain, contributing to her movement and cognitive disorders, Sharon said. Once she was positively diagnosed with Lyme disease, doctors tried IV antibiotics but that treatment only had a temporary effect.
Rachel's pediatric neurologist, Dr. Abba Cargan, first recommended IVIG treatment last November. Cargan declined to comment on her condition or treatment, according to his office.
Initially, Health Net denied coverage for IVIG because they maintained the little girl had no clear diagnosis and Rachel would be at risk to the treatments' side effects, according to Health Net spokesman Ira Morrison.
Throughout the appeal process, Health Net subjected the Tesslers to several layers of tests, paperwork and hearings to determine whether their daughter was a candidate for IVIG treatment, Sharon Tessler said.
"They (Health Net) put a lot of roadblocks in the way and made it really complicated for us to get this treatment," Sharon Tessler said.
The HMO first said IVIG was not a treatment for movement disorders despite several articles Rachel's doctors presented contrary to that assertion, according to Sharon Tessler. During appeals, Health Net said there was not enough evidence from previous studies to assume the treatment would work for Rachel, Tessler said. Her doctors contended that Rachel's conditions were so rare that there would never be enough subjects to facilitate a study proving that IVIG would be a successful treatment.
In the final denial, Tessler said the HMO refused the treatment because they could not determine why Rachel had this disorder.
"That's ridiculous because look at what's going on in the world today," Tessler said. "There's viruses, there's illnesses. We don't know what's causing them but that doesn't mean we don't treat them."
On Jan. 24, Sharon Tessler said she "got out all of my frustration and disbelief" about her daughter's ordeal in a letter that she sent to, among other people, members of Connecticut's congressional delegation, the state Department of Insurance and the Attorney General's office. Before her case could reach an outside appeal, Health Net agreed to reevaluate Rachel's condition.
"All we were asking is for the physicians to take a minute to do some further evaluations and we would abide by this independent decision," Morrison said.
Dr. Shirley Fisch, assistant professor of clinical neurology and pediatrics at Columbia University, was part of an interdisciplinary panel arranged by Health Net to evaluate Rachel's conditions. The panel determined last month that Rachel's immune deficiencies, possibly spurred by the Lyme disease, prevented standard treatment from being effective and IVIG treatment should be tried.
"While there are known risks in this treatment it is generally well tolerated. The possibility that it may work makes its possible side effects much less significant than the ongoing disability caused by her condition," wrote Dr. Fisch in her report on Rachel's case.
The New York Presbyterian Hospital panel reviewing the case recommended a six-month trial period of IVIG treatment for Rachel and Health Net authorized coverage of the treatment.
The state Department of Insurance found that Health Net followed proper procedures throughout the appeals process, according to Cliff Flicer, assistant director of consumer affairs for the agency.
"The people at Health Net were consistent in the flow of what the law requires and the progression of claims, such as this," Flicer said. "They met all the benchmarks that are required for a utilization review process."
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., whose office appealed to Health Net on Rachel's behalf, said the provider was right in agreeing to cover the treatment. "The Tesslers were determined and relentless, and I'm pleased that my staff was able to help ensure that Rachel's health wasn't jeopardized by red tape," he said.
Sharon Tessler said, "In the end they (Health Net) haven't lost anything, the only person that's lost anything is Rachel because her treatment was delayed for so long."
Rachel will spend eight hours connected to an intravenous drip for her first monthly session of treatment, and, if doctors find it successful during the six-month trial phase, Health Net said it would expedite the review process to extend the therapy.
Published in The Hour, in Connecticut.
