Benton County Commissioner Claude Oliver hopes to enlist the aid of a national hero to help save Hanford's Fast Flux Test Facility.

Oliver recently sent a request to former Sen. John Glenn, R-Ohio, asking the space pioneer for his support for restarting FFTF.

Oliver hopes a supportive Glenn could aid in getting the issue before President Bush.

"He's a national hero," Oliver said. "We're asking him to consider (FFTF) on its merits. A lot of times, people who have dedicated their lives to public service are willing to step up to the plate for an issue they care about."

Oliver mailed the letter, which he said was signed by 52 community members, earlier this month to an intermediary who has access to Glenn.

Oliver hasn't gotten a response from the senator, but was assured the letter is being delivered.

In an e-mail Oliver sent last week to news media throughout the county, he criticized federal leaders for either being ignorant of FFTF's benefits or just not caring.

"Who is looking out for the average American's best interests for new energy production while protecting taxpayers' and ratepayers' pocketbooks?" Oliver wrote. "Adolf Hitler liked to say, 'If you repeat a lie often enough, the masses believe it.' I cannot believe the number of politicians living the Hitler saga today in the rose color world of misinformation routinely coming from their offices regarding the (FFTF)."

Oliver wrote that "any moron, even a county commissioner," can read reports and see the need for FFTF.

Meanwhile, Department of Energy contractors continue work on deactivating and decommissioning the reactor. DOE is hoping to completely shut down the reactor by 2012.

The Clinton and Bush administrations both have turned away requests to restart the reactor.

FFTF advocates are working against an unknown deadline that could come as quickly as the next cold weather front. The weather, specifically freezing temperatures that could damage the reactor's drained, outer coolant loops, could make a restart difficult and cost-prohibitive.

It's because of those obstacles that Oliver said he's using blunt language and comparisons to Hitler.

On his way back to the Tri-Cities on Saturday from a Seattle-area church retreat, Oliver quoted legendary football coach Vince Lombardi: "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender."

"It's time for someone to step up," he said. "Right now it's lose-lose for the United States of America. It's got to be turned around so that it's win-win."