my friends parents who applied in bombay got the visa the second time. they are in mid-50s. they carried all the standard document both the times but got refused the first time without looking much at the documents. second time, they also carried a letter from the senator which made the visa officer to review the application in detail and gave 3 monts visa(after many questions). Letter from the senator is no guarantee or can't replace any document or can't fix any problem/situation. Letter from the senator ONLY makes the visa officer review the documents more carefully. The letter had my parents passport number and a request to "review the application". It DID NOT make any recommendation to issue the visa.
goodluck all
goodluck all