Nationally, Ross is an important member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he's spoken often of drafting a reworked Medicare prescription-drug bill and opposed the discount-card program. Internationally, Ross is both a member the House Foreign Affairs Committee and on NATO's Parliamentary Assembly.

Gun Control

See the skeet-shooting-from-a-pickup-truck mention above. Ross is staunchly against gun control and has earned an A+ grade from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund.

Health Care

The head of the House Energy and Commerce's health-care task force, Ross was among 45 moderate Democrats that bashed the House leadership in May 2009 for negotiating a reform bill behind closed doors. He opposed a public option, while calling non-profit co-operatives an "idea worth serious consideration."

"We don't need a select group of members of Congress or staff members writing this legislation. We don't want a briefing on the bill after it's written. We want to help write it," Ross stated.

Husband to a pharmacist, Ross is a constant thorn in the side to pharmaceutical companies for his vigorous efforts to lower the cost of medicines. Always ready to reference his background as a pharmacy owner, Ross has also been steadfast in opposing substantive or radical changes to Medicare, the government insurance program for seniors.

But his dedication to providing extended medical coverage waned as the price tag rose. Bashing the summer 2009 House leadership bill as throwing money at a broken system, Ross said the Blue Dogs would derail the legislation unless there are deeper cost cuts, less government involvement, and more compensation for health-care professionals.

Ross and his coalition of Blue Dogs convinced Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to postpone voting on the bill until after the August 2009 recess. "Somewhere along the way, people started imposing this artificial deadline," Ross said. "The American people are ready for us to slow down and ... read what we are voting on."

After the August recess, Ross told Arkansas journalists he expected a bill to pass by the end of 2009, but without the so-called "public option," a controversial provision that would create a government-run insurance plan that Americans could choose to buy instead of their private insurance.

Ross also was a major force behind raising from $100,000 to $500,000 the annual payroll level that required businesses to provide health care to their workers, and he claimed to have trimmed $100 billion in costs from the plan.

The Environment

Ross won plaudits at home when he voted against the summer 2009 House cap-and-trade legislation, lamenting the fact that moderates were excluded from the process of writing what he deemed a bad bill.

Taxes

Ross has talked a big game about keeping tax cuts, but has generally undertaken a more nuanced approach,opposing tax cuts when he feels the wealthy benefit from them more than the middle class. Recently, he's been a leader in the House on cutting taxes to promote job growth, although he's opposed such measures when they've threatened to further increase the national deficit.He supported Bush's 2001 tax-cut plan, but opposed the president's tax cuts in 2003.

Labor

Propelled into office with solid union support, Ross originally boasted a strong record in supporting labor causes and union interests. However, with his recent opposition to the Democrats' climate-change and health-care bills, Ross has drawn the ire of many former labor supporters.

The Military

Ross voted to authorize President George W. Bush's initial use of force in Iraq, but quickly reversed himself after the war began, explaining that he believed troops should have been withdrawn soon afterwards. But he's led the Blue Dogs' efforts to secure increased benefits for veterans, especially as tight government budgets have threatened resources available for former wartime soldiers.

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