A room with a view … for now

When newly minted U.S. Rep. Bill Foster glances out his office window, he gets a breathtaking view of Old Glory waving over the nation's Capitol.

Turns out that the Geneva Democrat's new gig, earned by way of his special-election win last week, comes with office space atypical for the lowest-ranking House member. He inherited 14th District predecessor Dennis Hastert's office suite while he completes the 21-year congressional veteran's term.

"I got some ribbing from colleagues," Foster told reporters during a Friday news teleconference. "I probably should tape up the window so I won't go into shock and depression when I get jammed into the basement of some other office building next January."

Foster is looking ahead a bit. He must defeat Republican Jim Oberweis again in November before he can think about office space in January. For now, though, the business owner and former Fermilab scientist said he is undergoing orientation by immersion.

Foster cast a perhaps decisive procedural vote on Tuesday; voted against his party's budget proposal on Thursday; and got his first committee assignment, Financial Services, on Friday.

He deemed himself "thrilled" by the committee appointment because of the panel's work on mortgage foreclosure issues.

Foster said he was pleased to cast a procedural vote that sustained a Democratic effort to create an independent panel to investigate ethics complaints against House members. Foster cast a "yes" ballot on a vote that was decided by a single vote and fell largely along party lines.

Finally, Foster said he opposed his party's budget proposal because it neither locks in long-term middle-class tax cuts on which he campaigned nor provides a long-term solution on the alternative minimum tax. He also said the Democrats' budget, like President Bush's, fails to realistically account for the Iraq war's cost.

"Five years in," Foster said, "people have a pretty good idea of what the real cost of the war is."

Foster answered a reporter's question by saying he is not voting now with the November election in mind. But he also explained his budget vote in terms of a campaign pledge to be "fiscally responsible," and it's no stretch to envision a Foster ad this fall citing the vote as evidence of compatibility with voters in a fiscally conservative district.

Foster, who was sworn in Tuesday, said one early surprise has been how cordial House members are with one another in an intensely partisan arena. He likened members' office and hallway relationships to those of friendly athletes from fiercely competitive teams.

But the bitter divide over policy issues, he said, is genuine and damaging.

"I've already seen an amazing amount of gamesmanship and tactics used, frankly, to prevent people from getting things done," Foster said. "We need more bipartisanship, and I'm going to be looking for ways to reach out across the aisle to get things done."