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http://www.omniture.com --> Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend June 11, 2006 Ron Wyden, a Portland resident who represents Oregon in the U.S. Senate, is pictured on the plaza in front of the Supreme Court in October. Wyden was at the court to present Oregon�s perspective on the physician-assisted suicide debate, one of many big issues he�s addressed on a national stage. (Associated Press) Stepping forward By Damian Mann Mail Tribune If you're even a casual observer of the political scene, it's been difficult to miss Sen. Ron Wyden lately. Recent appearances on C-SPAN, "Meet the Press" and a political pit stop in New Hampshire have put the Oregon Democrat in the limelight, even creating a bit of buzz about a possible presidential bid. In April, New Hampshire political pundit James Pindell, editor of the online political publication PoliticsNH.com, wrote, "U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden is probably one of the rare senators these days who is not running for president. Not yet, anyway." Wyden, who was visiting New Hampshire at the time to promote a flat tax proposal, shrugs off with some amusement any suggestions that he has presidential aspirations, offering an explanation as to how the rumor got started. He said that after giving a speech outside his or her home state, a senator is often approached by people in the audience who tell him he should run for president. "The senator comes home and he or she looks at themselves in the mirror and says, 'Well, that could be me,'" said 57-year-old Wyden, who lives in Portland with his wife, Nancy Bass-Wyden. "They get all convinced that they are presidential timbre." But despite the flattering reviews and articles in publications such as Money Magazine, Wyden said he has no intentions of running for president. He said there will be no lack of Democratic candidates in 2008. "Practically the whole U.S. Senate is emptying out in order to run," he said. He didn't completely rule out the possibility of running for vice president, though. "Nobody can plan for that stuff," he said. Wyden thinks he's more in the spotlight because a lot of issues that he cares about — from health care to a flat tax to cutting back on our reliance on foreign oil — are also resonating with Americans. "If people are paying attention it's because I'm able to bring important ideas from Oregon to the table, and then because I try to tackle them in a responsible and bipartisan way," he said. Jim Moore, a political science professor at Pacific University in Forest Grove, said Wyden has taken on more of a leadership role in just the past three months. "The most interesting thing to me is he has been stepping forward as we have been expecting for 10 years," said Moore, who grew up in Medford. Oregon used to be more at the center of Washington, D.C., politics more than 10 years ago when the state was represented by Sen. Mark Hatfield, a Republican and former governor, and when Wyden was a member of the House of Representatives. "In the house he Wyden was the most persistent and hostile opponent of the tobacco industry," remembers Moore. "When he was in the House, the joke was you don't ever want to get in the way of Ron Wyden when he gets in front of the camera." Wyden is still not media shy, but Moore said he has noticed more maturity from the senator while still offering the same enthusiasm for tackling issues. "We're finally seeing glimmers of that return to prominence" for Oregon, he said. Wyden has been known for tackling the oil industry, taking on senior citizen issues or promoting health care, but Moore said he's been stepping out lately taking on a stronger role as a Democratic leader. "He has been articulating frustrations with the Republican president and Republican leadership," he said. Moore doesn't think Wyden would make a bid for president, although he speculates that Wyden could potentially get a cabinet position like secretary of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department under a future Democratic administration. Also recent successful presidential candidates have been from the South or have been former governors, he noted. Wyden has been perceived as a maverick, voting against the war in Iraq or pushing for higher automobile fuel standards when the idea wasn't popular. He filibustered the Senate in April demanding a vote on whether to continue oil subsidies after oil companies posted record profits. At the same time, he's worked hand-in-hand with his Republican colleague, Sen. Gordon Smith, co-sponsoring legislation and touring Oregon with Smith for town hall meetings. From his meetings with Oregonians, Wyden said the issues that are the most important concern health care costs, schools, gas prices and the erosion of the middle class's buying power. Terrorism and protecting individual rights are also top issues, he said. "I believe you can fight terrorism ferociously and still protect individual liberties," he said. While Wyden advocates issues that resonate with Oregonians, he has also voted against other issues that appeal to Southern Oregonians, such as his recent vote against a Constitutional ban on gay marriages. But even conservatives like Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith said that while he can disagree with Wyden, the senator "has consistently voted his conscience on those issues." Wyden also voted against the war in Iraq, and many Americans are now questioning our involvement there. The county commissioner said history will be the judge as to whether the war was the right thing to do. Referring to Wyden's stand and his extensive knowledge of the Middle East, he said, "It's always good to have a loyal opposition — keeps the system honest." The senator has also been a strong advocate for Oregon, fighting to reinstate county timber money that pumps $24 million into Jackson County annually. Smith said Wyden's office has been one of the most responsive when it comes to issues that affect Southern Oregon. "I walk away with a great deal more respect for him," said Smith. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476 or [email protected] . The CIA, wiretapping, the fall election, Iraq and gas prices Sen. Ron Wyden's positions on five issues of interest nationally and in Jackson County 1. Wyden was one of 14 Democrats who voted against Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden as head of the CIA. Why does he think that was a poor choice for the administration? As the head of the National Security Agency, Wyden says, Hayden testified in 2002 that he had no authority to intercept the communications of U.S. persons unless he had enough evidence for a warrant. On the day that he gave that testimony, the general had been running a warrantless wiretapping program for over a year, according to the senator, who added it is clear that, at a minimum, the general was intentionally misleading Congress and the public about the nature of domestic spying operations, even though there is a law that requires him to fully inform the congressional Intelligence Committees. While the general is exceptionally well-qualified to lead the CIA, credibility and accountability ought to factor into these confirmations, Wyden says, noting he could not simply ignore the general's actions. 2. As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, does Wyden think there is a high likelihood that the phones of average citizens in Jackson County are being tapped? As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Wyden says he is legally prohibited from commenting on classified programs on which he has been briefed. However, whether you live in Jackson, Wheeler or Lane County, whether the president is ultra-conservative or ultra-liberal, no president should be trusted to engage in domestic wiretapping of U.S. citizens without court warrants or any meaningful independent oversight, Wyden says. Will the Democrats gain a majority in the House this November? The senator says he isn't in the business of handicapping national elections, but he has certainly seen first-hand that a lot of conservatives, moderates and progressives are ready for a change in direction on the growing deficit, health care, the middle-class tax burden, and the war in Iraq. Does Wyden, who voted against the war in Iraq, think there is a civil war in that country? When Wyden returned from a trip to Iraq in March, he was concerned that the country was headed on a downward spiral into civil war. There have been a few positive developments since then, including the elimination of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, but the daily reports of car bombings, executions and rampant sectarian violence are not encouraging, he said. Will gas prices remain higher for the foreseeable future? The administration knew last summer that gasoline shortages and price spikes would hit hard this spring because of the transition from MTBE methyl tertiary butyl ether, a pollution-reducing fuel additive to ethanol, yet the key federal energy and consumer agencies did nothing to counter rising gas prices. Since the administration has still not taken any real action on behalf of consumers, Wyden said he is concerned that the sky-high prices we're seeing this summer will be with us for a while. 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