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Senator describes life under seige in D.C.
Life in Washington, D.C., these days is filled with armed guards and tension over possible terrorist attacks, Sen. Mike Crapo told the capacity crowd at the 2003 Elmore County GOP Lincoln Day Banquet last Friday at War Memorial Hall.
"Following 9/11," Crapo, the featured speaker said, "it was clear that the plane (that crashed in Pennsylvania) was going to D.C. and it is generally believed it was aimed at the Capitol building.
"Everyone believes there will be another attack on the Capitol," he said in remarks that followed those by fellow Sen. Larry Craig, Congressman Mike Simpson, and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne at the noon luncheon.
In describing life in the nation's capital, Crapo noted that "all roads around the Capitol and the White House are blocked off, with police cars standing by with engines running.
"Numerous uniformed personnel carrying various weaponry that they brandish openly are visible everywhere you go. You can't go anywhere without seeing them.
"The skies are patrolled by aircraft, and the exits (off the interstates) to many critical areas are blocked off by police cars with lights on 24/7. Any vehicle that takes an exit and isn't supposed to be there they try and stop. If they can't, there's a Humvee with a .50-caliber machine gun waiting behind them.
"All of our staff have been given gas masks," the freshman senator said, "and when they raised the alert level to Orange recently, they also brought out the surface to air missiles" that were stationed throughout the city.
"I say this, not to frighten anybody, but to give a feel that we are at war. It is a very tense situation. People are constantly talking about personal preparations."
With war with Iraq looming Crapo said "I don't think the United States has the choice to simply decide not to deal with Iraq.
"We know Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, and the inclination to use them." Hussein has used poison gas on his own people in the past and during the 8-year war with Iran in the 1980s.
"We know Iraq is a safe harbor for terrorists. We know he has everything in place for nuclear weapons except the fissile materials," which could take him years to produce on his own, "or months if he can get them on the open market."
Crapo said that "it is not a question of whether we deal with Iraq, but when. If we wait until he decides on his own timetable when to confront us, the casualties will be enormous."
The senator admitted that war with Iraq is likely to increase the possibility of terrorist attacks against the United States, "but those consequences will occur anyway. In that context, the question is, should the United States yield to the UN?" he asked.
"I believe we must... hold a coalition of nations to work with us, and if possible, find a path other than war.
"But we're on our 18th UN resolution. The president may go to a 19th. But at some point, we must either succeed in disarming Saddam Hussein, or recognize it won't work and act to protect our country.
"As we approach that decision," Crapo said, "we should keep in mind that the security of the United States must be decided, according to the Constitution, by the president and Congress, not the UN.
"The president and Congress will and shall do all we can to avoid war, but once we act, I believe other nations will support us."
In the middle of all that, he added, there are the ongoing battles on Capitol Hill involving a Democratic filibuster over Bush's judicial nominations and budget issues.
The filibuster was sharply condemned by Crapo, who said it was unprecedented and a blatant political ploy to stop the maximum number of Bush appointments to the bench in order to set the stage for a possible battle over a Supreme Court nomination. At least one, and possibly two justices are expected to retire before the end of Bush's term.
Crapo said the filibusters "deprive the president of his chance to nominate" judges. "They should at least have to right to face a vote on the floor" of the Senate, he said.
He also said Congress is looking at a $200-$300 billion deficit this year. "We went from a $300 billion surplus to a $300 billion deficit in just one year," he lamented.
The banquet, one of 22 Lincoln Day Banquets across the state, was attended by a large number of state and local Republican leaders as well as the state's national delegation.
"This is Lincoln Day Banquet number ten for us," Sen. Larry Craig joked, "so this must be Mountain Home."
But he quickly got serious, noting, "we're involved in a war, a war that has major concerns for Mountain Home and Mountain Home Air Force Base.
"There are touch choices to be made, but necessary choices."
Sen. Craig also noted that with Mike Simpson now on the powerful House Appropriations Committee (a post Simpson gave Craig credit for helping him obtain), and himself on the Senate Appropriations Committee, "we are now positioned to work closely to ensure both the budget and mission" for Mountain Home AFB will be maintained.
Simpson, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne also offered brief remarks at the banquet, which was designed to solidify and praise the Republican faithful in the area.
Kempthorne, in his remarks, noted the severe financial crisis the state was facing, but pledged no more cuts in education, and predicted that Idaho would be one of the first states in the nation to recover from the current economic recession.