In this morning's issue of the Oregonian, longtime Oregon Republican Senator Mark Hatfield endorsed President Bush. This is what he had to say:

As a young Navy officer in World War II, I was one of the first Americans to see Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped in 1945. That experience lives with me today, and it helped to shape the view I held during my public service career: a view that war is wrong in nearly every circumstance.

As Oregon's governor, I was the only governor in the nation who refused to sign a statement supporting President Johnson's Vietnam War policy.

As a senator, I joined with Sen. George McGovern in an unsuccessful effort to end that war. I was the only senator who voted against both the Democrat and Republican resolutions authorizing the use of force in the 1991 Gulf War.

In my final years in the Senate, I opposed President Clinton's decision to send American troops to Bosnia.

During my 30 years in the Senate, I never once voted in favor of a military appropriations bill.

I know that this record will cause many to wonder why I am such a strong supporter of President Bush and his policy in Iraq. My support is based on the fact that our world changed on Sept. 11, 2001, a day on which we lost more American lives than we did in the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This move was not entirely unexpected for me as he indicated as much when I had lunch with him last summer, and I completely respect his stance in this race. Nevertheless, I am somewhat disappointed in his decision given the fact that he is one of my politial idols in the state of Oregon and his words and actions mean so much in this state.