Democratic Rep. Bob Matsui Dies at Age 63. Legislator spent time in Internment Camp

Democratic Rep. Robert T. Matsui of California, who spent time in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans as an infant during World War II and went on to serve 26 years in Congress, has died of complications from a rare disease, his family said Sunday. Matsui, 63, died Saturday night at the National Naval Medical Center in this Washington suburb. Matsui juggled political and policy roles during more than a quarter-century in Congress. He was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for the past two years, in charge of the unsuccessful effort to regain control of the House. He also was the third-ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, where he was his party's point man on Social Security legislation. [more]

• Last Week he issued the following statement summarizing his objections to the Social Security pseudo-crisis: "If the president is serious about reforming Social Security, he will need to hear from everyone involved, not just those who favor privatization. Today's economic conference was a photo-op, a meeting of like minds and a missed opportunity for real debate about the future of Social Security. We don't need any more privatization pep-rallies, we need leadership. If the President insists on privatizing Social Security, he needs to tell us how he's going to pay for the enormous costs and how the benefit cuts imposed will affect future retirees."