CRANE COMPLETES ALCOHOL TREATMENT

Illinois Rep.Phil Crane has returned to his congressional duties after
completing a 21-day treatment program for alcoholism, receiving warm
applause from colleagues on the House floor Tuesday.

Crane, the most senior House Republican and a former presidential
candidate, declared he is back and "in good health."

"I feel better, mentally and physically," said Crane, a 16-term
congressman from Chicago's northwest suburbs. "I look forward to the
hard work. ... This has been a deeply humbling experience for me."

The 69-year-old conservative announced last month that he was taking a
leave of absence to enter a treatment program in Maryland. At the
time, he said his growing dependence on alcohol "has taken a toll on
my health and other aspects of my life."