News In Brief 20 June 2005

Rep Hunter May Leave Congress For Restaurant Biz

Says "Different Stress Level" But "More Fun In The Kitchen, Than On The Floor"

After defending the Bush Administration against charges of abuse at the Guantanamo prison by serving up the meals served at Gitmo to media members, Hunter says he's considering leaving the Congress and opening a restaurant.

"It's a different level of stress but there'll be more fun in the kitchen than out on the house floor", said Hunter.

Hunter last week, as if auditioning for a spot on the Food Network, rolled out for the assembled press, dinners of lemon-baked fish and oven-fried chicken with rice, fruit and vegetables. Hunter also described other options prisoners had, such as whole wheat pita, brown long-grain rice, canned peaches, steamed asparagus, northern beans, tea and margarine.

Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, went on to extol that the Muslim prisoners at Guantanamo lived "a good life and are probably eating better than they have in their entire lives"

This isn't the first time that Hunter has stepped out in front of the cameras to defend the Bush Administrations prison policies.

Hunter was a lead player in squashing the Abu Ghraib investigations in the House last year, after news of abusing prisoners in Iraq broke and became public. Hunter also was the first chairman of a congressional oversight committee to criticize the Sept. 11 Commission and their recommended reforms

"We are not going to be steamrollered in the Armed Services Committee", Hunter said of the Commission recommendations.

Asked if he has chosen the name of his pending restaurant

"No, I'm still kicking that around. Right now it's between 'Gitmo's' or 'Filibuster's".