WASHINGTON, D.C. -- He laced up some comfortable, white Nike sneakers with jet-black shoestrings before he headed outside into the Green Zone.

And, to avoid suffering any more than necessary in the 113-degree heat, he wore a loose-fitting beige-on-white short sleeve shirt with white pants.

United States Rep. Jim Jordan said he’ll never forget his first impression of the war zone in Iraq: “It was hot. Incredibly hot.”

Rep. Jordan, a Republican from Urbana, traveled to Iraq with 5 other Members of Congress to tour U.S. military facilities and meet with local troops. For many in the delegation, Jordan included, it was their first opportunity to see Baghdad, the Green Zone, and American military outposts.

In the city of Ramadi, a 45-minute helicopter flight from central Baghdad, Jordan recalls seeing rubble lying in the streets. “There had just been a big fight there. (American troops) had to go house-to-house and run Al-Qaeda out of there,” Jordan said. He wore bright orange earplugs to shield his ears, and a Kevlar vest to shield his body, in case gunfire erupted.

Jordan walked through an open-air market, which had previously been shut down because of the threat of attacks from insurgents. The brick storefronts are pockmarked because of the damage sustained by bullets and explosives. Power lines and electrical cords dangle from the tops of buildings. Door frames are broken. Still, streetside vendors have returned outside to sell their products. The merchandise tables are shielded from the sun by long, ratty, multi-colored sheets tied to the gutters and building overhangs.

The Congressman said that Ramadi market is one example of recent progress in the Al-Anbar Province in Iraq, which has been a key battleground of the 4-year-long war.

“More and more, you’re seeing Iraqi military taking a lead,” Jordan said, “And (American troops) are providing a back-up role. You’re seeing their police force come together. The central government is coming together. They’re providing sewer services and water now.”

During our interview in his 5th floor Washington, DC office inside the Cannon House Office Building, Jordan leaned forward in his chair and loosened his red tie as recounted speaking with Ohio troops in Iraq. “It’s hard work. It’s amazingly difficult work for them,” Jordan said. “They would prefer to be home with their families. But they also said `We signed up for this’. `We want to do our mission’. `We’re confident we can win’,” Jordan said. He then added, “And their confidence gives me confidence.”

Jordan has never had a shortage of political confidence, though. He was the only new Republican elected to the U.S. Congress from Ohio in 2006 – a year in which Democrats gained control of the U.S. House and Senate, in part because of growing anti-war sentiment. Yet, he’s becoming one of Ohio’s most vocal supporters of the President’s troop surge plan in Baghdad. Come September, Jordan said he’ll also fight Democratic efforts to restrict funding for the war in the U.S. House of Representatives. “It should be military leaders who make decisions about how we’re going to succeed in this mission – not politicians in Washington,” he said.

This high-profile issue is expected to raise the profile of the first-term Congressman. Prior to his election to the U.S. Congress last November, Jordan served 12 years in the Ohio Legislature. His official biography lists his background in the General Assembly and State Senate: “Jim Jordan was named Pro-Life legislator of the Year from United Conservatives of Ohio and won the Defender of Life award from Ohio Right to Life for his unwavering commitment to protecting the sanctity of human life.” But Jordan is replacing one of the most accomplished and powerful Congressmen in recent Ohio history, Mike Oxley, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services.

But Jordan faces hurdles that his predecessor did not. Unlike Oxley, Jordan is serving as a member of the minority part in Washington. His support for continued U.S. involvement in Iraq is countered by a Democratic party which regularly proposes bills to reduce and redeployment U.S. forces in Iraq. Jim Jordan insists he’s “a fighter”. He references his days as a college wrestling champion. “We had to stay lean. We had to `drop weight’.. We dealt with heat. But nothing like the heat those troops are feeling in Iraq.”

In September, when debate resumes over Iraq in Washington, we’ll see how much heat Jordan can put on Democrats. And, we’ll see what effect his position on the war has on his own political future.