LI pol welcomes El Salvador VP Cerén

Several elected officials went on the defensive last week after appearances by El Salvador's Marxist vice president, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, in Nassau County stirred criticism -- but not Legis. Francis X. Becker (R-Lynbrook). Becker attended a dinner for Cerén in Hempstead, and at the podium, said through an interpreter: "I felt like, with your presence here, I visited El Salvador." Becker -- who's challenging Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola), as is Conservative nominee Frank Scaturro -- later said the fuss prompted by Cerén's involvement in anti-American demonstrations in El Salvador in 2001 is overblown: "Personally, I welcome him here." -- Patrick Whittle