In revealing comments published last week in the Hartford Courant, Shays said his mother wrote him a note last month that in so many words told him he would lose the election if he continued to reiterate his support for the war in the face of unrelenting attacks by his opponent, Democrat Diane Farrell. But the nine-term incumbent Shays said, as he has in the past, that he'll disregard his mother's advice—and that of some political consultants, no doubt–and continue to talk about his support for President Bush's mission in Iraq, which the congressman has visited a dozen times. Shays lauded the death of al Qaeda leader Abu Musab Zarqawi but said, "the difficult and necessary mission in Iraq continues."

Farrell has continued to capitalize on the district's overwhelming opposition to the Iraq war–sharply criticizing Shays for what she characterizes as his failure to properly oversee Iraq reconstruction efforts. Shays held a congressional hearing last week on the oversight of more than 60 private security firms working in Iraq.

Coincidence? The Shays camp says yes–that as chair of a congressional subcommittee on national security, the boss has held more than 90 hearings on homeland security, terrorism, and Iraq. –Liz Halloran