Current evidence shows that much of the "re-importation" is in fact "new importation" with the actual drugs having been produced outside the United States or Canada and therefore outside the controls of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The rush to the Internet for overseas purchases puts the health of all Americans at risk.

The best reduction in the cost of prescription drugs in the United States comes through adequate public information about generic drugs and their availability. Such information is available at 1-800-MEDICARE as a result of the bill passed in this session of Congress.

5. Knowing what you do today, would you support the Iraqi war? How much longer should U.S. troops be in Iraq? At this time, do you favor or oppose spending as much money as President Bush requests on the war? Should military operations in Iraq be considered part of the "war on terror"?

The terrorist attacks on the United States, past and future, know no national boundaries. There is no question but what al-Qaida operatives are currently active in Iraq. A premature exit before the threat they represent has been dealt with would endanger America and the prospects of eventual peace in the Middle East. Wars are never popular but have to be viewed in a worldwide context rather than through the lens of the daily news.

I continue to support the president's requests for funding the war. Our troops must have the proper equipment and supplies to successfully carry out this mission. The situation in Iraq will be long, it will be expensive and it will be difficult. But in the end, Iraq will very much be worth it. As we accomplish the goals laid out by President Bush to establish a stable, self-governing, pro-Western, free-economy state, we will strike a tremendous blow against terrorism and prove that freedom, democracy and capitalism can indeed thrive in the Middle East.

6. What is your position on nuclear weapons testing? Under what circumstances should they be conducted, if at all?

The United States stopped nuclear testing during the first Bush administration in 1992. Current government policy is clear — no testing — and while no official will say "never," no one sees any likely circumstances that would change that policy.

I support this policy; I am opposed to nuclear testing. But I am also opposed to nuclear ignorance. The research that has been conducted since 1992 has been able to give us all the information that tests would have revealed. I have supported this research because through it, testing will continue to be unnecessary, even as we maintain our national security.