Web site 'map-journal' chronicles Ben Nelson's (D-Ne) trip to Iraq

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=2378172

Published Saturday | May 5, 2007
Web site 'map-journal' chronicles Nelson's trip to Iraq
BY JOSEPH MORTON
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

WASHINGTON - The aerial view of Baghdad jerks back and forth with the jostling of the Black Hawk helicopter. The sound of rotors pounding the air is deafening, and a nearby escort helicopter can be seen dropping flares - a precaution against enemy ground fire.

The footage comes from videos that Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., has posted on his Senate Internet Web site as part of a multimedia "map-journal" chronicling his recent trip to the war zone.

Nelson made the trip with a congressional delegation that included Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb.

The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call this week dubbed him "Rambo" after Nelson said that being shot at is pretty common in Iraq and that he didn't feel like the group was in any danger during the trip.

The materials posted on Nelson's Web site may not pack quite the punch of a Sylvester Stallone action flick, but they do offer a glimpse into the situation in Iraq.

One photo captures smoke rising from an explosion. A video shows two soldiers manning machine guns on either side of a Marine helicopter. Viewers can see the trash fires burning in Baghdad and junked vehicles abandoned in the desert.

FULL story at link.

http://bennelson.senate.gov/iraqcodel/index.cfm