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W.Va. Congressman Says His Visit 'Played a Part'

By Andrea Stone
USA Today
Posted on Wednesday September 18, 2002

WASHINGTON—One day after Saddam Hussein agreed to allow United Nations weapons inspectors back into Iraq, a little-known congressman returned from Baghdad claiming at least partial credit.

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., said Tuesday that he ‘’had a positive feeling’’ after wrapping up a weekend ‘’humanitarian mission’’ that had the sanction, if not the blessing, of the State Department.

‘’We have opened the door for peace, however slightly,’’ Rahall said at the end of the three-day trip. ‘’I feel I played a part.’’

Rahall (RAY-haul), a 13-term lawmaker little known outside his state, is a Lebanese-American and longtime critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East. Those credentials, he said, got him a meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.

‘’I told Mr. Aziz that George Bush is serious,’’ Rahall said. He warned that the only way to prevent war was to allow ‘’unconditional and unfettered access’’ for inspectors.

Saddam refused to see the delegation, which included former senator James Abourezk of South Dakota. The Institute for Public Accuracy, a liberal policy group based in San Francisco, sponsored the trip. James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, called Rahall ‘’courageous’’ for going to Iraq. ‘’The fact that an Arab-American congressman goes there and gives it to them in their face, in person, was a very important display of leadership,’’ Zogby said.

Several West Virginian newspapers criticized the trip. The conservative Charleston Daily Mail accused Rahall of ‘’grandstanding (that) couldn’t have been more ill-timed.’’ The Register-Herald of Beckley, Rahall’s hometown, said, ‘’Rahall’s trip could cause more harm than good.’’

This isn’t the first time Rahall, 53, has reached out to controversial foreign leaders. He met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in Beirut in 1982, long before Arafat was accepted on the world stage.

Rahall’s views on the Middle East haven’t hurt him in his blue-collar, coal-mining district. Observers say his Iraq trip won’t threaten his chances for a 14th term in November against a little-known Republican challenger.

‘’While this trip may go against the grain, in the bigger picture, he’s perceived as good for the district,’’ said Larry Martin, editor of The Register-Herald.