Lawmaker's Lebanese roots tested since Sept. 11

WASHINGTON -- Enter Rep. Ray LaHood's Capitol Hill office and there is no mistaking he is from the central Illinois territory that Abraham Lincoln once represented in Congress.

There's the Lincoln bust, the Lincoln portrait, the Lincoln books. The Peoria Republican also proudly displays the Lebanese flag as another symbol of his heritage.

LaHood, whose grandparents came to Illinois from Lebanon, has become a voice in Congress for Arab Americans in general and Lebanon in particular, whether moving to end a U.S. travel ban to the country or raising questions years ago about Arab Americans being singled out at airport security checks.

But since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, LaHood has decided not to join the critics who complain that the government has unfairly targeted people of Middle Eastern descent.

Some will be offended

"There are people in this country right now who are trying to do in the United States and we have to find these people and we have to arrest them, and sometimes in the process of doing that you're probably going to step on some toes and you're probably going to offend some people. You might offend some Arab people," said LaHood, a member of the House Intelligence Committee. "But I think that is something that we have to do."

James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, praises LaHood's overall record on Arab issues, including the congressman's help in persuading a congressional subcommittee to hold hearings on the profiling issue. But Zogby, who is critical of the Justice Department's detention of Arab immigrants on visa violations, is concerned by some of LaHood's positions since Sept. 11.

In October, LaHood was one of only three House Republicans to vote against the Patriot Act anti-terrorism bill, but on a second vote he joined the House majority in backing the measure, even though critics continued to raise concerns about provisions such as allowing for the indefinite detention of immigrants under some circumstances.

LaHood said his shift was in large part due to the addition of a four-year sunset provision that would ensure that there would be a review of the effects of the legislation.

Supporting Arab countries

LaHood has tempered his positions with strong support for the Arab countries that have supported the U.S. pursuit of Osama bin Laden.

"We couldn't be effective as we are if it wasn't for the Arab world supporting our efforts," he said. "The Arab countries have really stepped up and showed the kind of courage I think it takes to make this an effective all-out assault to get bin Laden."

LaHood's current positions notwithstanding, he is still portrayed as a valued ally by Zogby and others. They say that LaHood stands out among the six Lebanese-American House members who informally make up Congress' Arab-American caucus.

"The most active of them is definitely Ray LaHood," said Farid Aboud, Lebanon's U.S. ambassador.