Even the people involved in the restoration didnt believe it could be restored. It was completely written off. It was thought to be an impossible task, said John Lopez, a scientist with the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, which led the restoration effort. It has been a dramatic turnabout.Paul’s opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also came across in his defense of Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele’s comment at a fundraiser last week that Afghanistan is a war of ’s choosing.That evening, we enjoyed dinner at at crowded Middle Eastern restaurant that was in the main square The sun was shining, more music was playing and we didnt even want to contemplate the fact that wed be returning to winter in NY the next day.