David Wu has been my Congressman for six years, since I moved into my current residence. I have voted for him every election. I have spoken to him on a couple of accessions and to his staff so many times that a couple of his aides have recognized my voice on the phone. He has voted the way I wanted him to almost without exception. Therefore I have watched the rumors about his mental problems with growing concern. The situation appears to be coming to a head, and he’s clearly in trouble.

Top Oregon Democrats said Saturday that they hope Rep. David Wu is getting the help he needs following reports that his staff demanded he enter a hospital for psychiatric treatment. Most also said it’s too early to say whether they will push to replace Wu, first elected to the House in 1998. "Before everybody starts playing the political parlor games, someone should figure out if he needs help," said state Sen. Mark Hass, D-Beaverton, echoing sentiments expressed by several political figures. The Portland Democratic congressman, who has refused to talk with reporters about the matter, continued to stay out of public view Saturday. A woman at his Capitol Hill home refused to take a message for him from a reporter and turned out the lights when she saw the reporter outside the house later. Still, though many Democratic officials were speaking cautiously in public, the latest reports about Wu have only intensified the backroom discussions about Wu’s political future and his odds of continuing to represent the 1st Congressional District on the Portland area’s west side. Several potential candidates have surfaced, with Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian and state Sen. Suzanne Bonamici, D-Cedar Hills, the most frequently mentioned as the favorites of party activists… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <The Oregonian>