Congressman discusses war, I-69

Baron Hill made his first appearance as the city's newly elected congressman Wednesday night, holding a meeting at the Showers Complex, 501 N. Morton St. Hill, a moderate Democrat associated with a group of fiscally conservative congressmen, shifts Bloomington's political representation in Washington slightly to the center. \n"I'm excited to represent Bloomington," Hill said at the start of the meeting. "It's a lot different than the rest of my district. People from Bloomington are willing to speak their minds."\nAfter a brief speech by Hill, residents peppered the congressman with comments and questions covering a broad range of issues and concerns. The status of the I-69 highway project and economic issues like healthcare coverage and prescription drug costs were recurrent themes throughout the night. But a new war in the Middle East, in particular, was on the minds of the crowd of between 50 and 60 citizens from Bloomington and the surrounding area.\n"I hope the president will make a clear case for wanting to go to war in Iraq," Hill said. "The war drums are beating in Washington. But the 9th district isn't ready to go to war."\nHill said he was surprised at the lack of support for military action against Iraq, estimating that nearly four out of five constituents of his district expressed reservations about Bush's proposed campaign. Hill qualified that guess with the caveat that war is still possible and that many voters were waiting for the president to make his case.\n"I'm still not convinced we should go in now -- but we may have to," Hill said. "Hussein is not a good guy and we have to deal with him."\nMany in the crowd wore yellow labels that said "Peaceful Patriot" and spoke forcefully against a war, asking Hill to use his position on the Armed Services Committee to prevent a pre-emptive attack.\n"I'm concerned about the way we're framing the war issue. I hoped that President Bush could make a case for war," said one speaker. "But, in polls, 80 percent of the French, 87 percent of Germans, and you said nearly four out of five you've talked to are against the war. Why does it seem as if nobody's listening to that?"\nViolet Lynch, a co-chair of the local Unitarian Universalist Church's Peace and Justice Task Force and a Bloomington resident, said she wants Hill to sign a letter currently circulating Congress that essentially supports more time for the inspectors to work. An initial report from the inspectors will be released next week. \n"I have a feeling that he has moved a little away from the resolution to give the president power to act," she said afterward, referring to Hill's affirmative vote to give Bush authority to execute a new military campaign. "I hope he will try to slow down the rush to war."\nA number of participants in the meeting interviewed afterward said the meeting went well compared to town meetings with Bloomington's previous congressman. But Hill did not articulate any definitive positions at the meeting on the possible war and on the proposed I-69 extension. He said he was not sure when he would have official positions, as he was waiting for more information about some of the issues.