Maryland pol saves opponent's life

Guy walks into a restaurant...

Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr. walked into his favorite Italian restaurant in downtown Annapolis Monday night thinking he'd just pick up some carry-out penne and meatballs.

He ended up saving the life of the political rival he may face in the November election by forcing a chunk of seafood pasta out of Jim Rosapepe's windpipe with some swift heaves to his mid-section.

"It's one of those really weird, cosmic things," Mr. Giannetti, D-Laurel, said yesterday.

Mr. Rosapepe, a member of the University of Maryland system's Board of Regents, was dining at Maria's Sicilian Ristorante and Cafe with former delegate Timothy Maloney and Del. Sheila Hixson, D-Montgomery, at around 9:30 p.m. They were talking about Mr. Rosapepe's efforts to freeze tuition.

Mr. Giannetti, whose district includes a small portion of western Anne Arundel County, was standing in the bar area, waiting to pick up his order and take it home with him. Then he saw Mr. Rosapepe - a Democrat who ran the campaign of the longtime incumbent Mr. Giannetti beat in 1998 and a presumed candidate to challenge Mr. Giannetti this year - hunched over and moving toward him in distress.

"I can't breathe," Mr. Giannetti recalled Mr. Rosapepe saying, "Somebody help me."

Mr. Giannetti, 41, recognized the face of his nemesis, but sprang into action. Some others tried to help, but they were beating on Mr. Rosapepe's chest, which is not the way to dislodge food from someone's throat.

Mr. Rosapepe, 54, coughed up the chunk of food and felt reasonably good afterward.

Rosapepe says, however, that he is still likely to challenge Giannetti for his seat.

I'm thinking he might as well not bother unless he plans to win by locking up the ingrate vote.

By the way, in this day and age, who on earth still thinks you dislodge food from somebody's throat by pounding on him? And, on his chest? Even back in the day, you'd hit them on the back. But, the Heimlich Maneuver became a household expression, what, 30 years ago? More? Heck, I remember Archie Bunker performing it on Sammy Davis, Jr. That wasn't exactly yesterday.