First-term Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) pauses outside a hearing room to take questions from reporters in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill. Cantwell, a high-tech millionaire, worked as a marketing executive of Real Networks, a Seattle Internet audio software company, before running for her Senate seat. Cantwell previously served in the Washington state House from 1987 to 1992 and won election to the U.S. House in 1993 but was defeated for re-election in 1994. (February 2003)

Watch a video clip of Melina Mara discussing this photo:
"I definitely have a shoe fetish." [view clip]