Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
By PAUL DE LA GARZA and JOHN BALZ
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 11, 2001
Marxist rebels abducted five U.S. anti-drug agents in the coca-growing region of Putumayo in southern Colombia. After a tense White House briefing, the president authorized a Special Forces-led rescue mission to the region.
How the mission ends only NBC knows: Part one of the story line was introduced last Wednesday in the hugely popular television drama The West Wing. The conclusion is scheduled for Wednesday.
NBC ripped the story straight from the headlines, painting a gloomy picture of the guerrilla war that has plagued Colombia for almost 40 years.
About the only thing that the network changed was the reference to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. In the series, it is the frente, or the front.
The characters, including President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, got into a rather realistic debate about Colombia, evoking comparisons with Vietnam, for example.
The Colombian embassy in Washington wasn't thrilled with the program, probably because it was broadcast at a time Colombia is trying to improve its image overseas, especially in Europe.
Critics of U.S. aid to Colombia -- we're giving them $1.3-billion over two years, mainly in military aid -- often have complained that Americans are not paying attention to America's role there.
Perhaps The West Wing will change that.
To hear Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, tell it you'd think he was single-handedly responsible for saving the River of Grass. While appearing as a guest on the Jan. 30 edition of CNN's The Spin Room, Putnam told liberal pundit Bill Press, "You know, I was also the lead sponsor of the Everglades Restoration Package."
Putnam was a lead sponsor of an Everglades Restoration Package -- just not the massive $8-billion one that Democrats and Republicans cooed over last fall. Putnam was the lead sponsor of a 1999 proposal, signed into law by Gov. Jeb Bush that April, which gave the Florida Department of Environmental Protection the right to control Everglades restudy-reports. Environmentalists contended it gave too much power to sugar industry interests.
As chairman of the House agriculture committee, Putnam played a major role in Everglades restoration, but the 2000 bill that eventually arrived on Gov. Bush's desk was sponsored by Republican state legislator Lee Constantine. Putnam was not a co-sponsor.
Politically Incorrect, ABC's late night talk show that features an odd quartet of celebrities discussing news of the day, came to Washington for five days last week. Included in the mix were two Florida representatives, Republicans Mark Foley of Palm Beach and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami.
Foley, who appeared on a panel with presidential second-runner up Ralph Nader and filmmaker Michael Moore, a Nader supporter, was clearly not among political allies. After expressing pride in former president Ronald Reagan, who "gave us the ideas and dreams that we could soar again as a nation," a chorus of boos rained down from the audience.
"It was a little hectic and chaotic -- outside the box," Foley said. "It's not serious TV so don't think you're going to score policy initiatives."
At least Ros-Lehtinen had country singer/songwriter Naomi Judd to catch her back. When the topic of abortion came up, Judd let loose a barb at women who considered the procedure.
"Well, they weren't very smart to get pregnant in the first place."
- Staff writers Paul de la Garza and John Balz contributed to this report.