(AP) Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) rumored to retire early over US Attorney scandal!!

[Roland99]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18072444/

The past two months have not been easy for Sen. Pete Domenici, the six-term Republican from New Mexico accused of pressuring his state's former U.S. attorney on a political corruption investigation.

Some have even speculated the trouble might force the 74-year-old to retire in 2008.

...

Still, questions continue to be raised about his future. Healthy fundraising does not mean the election will be easy, said University of New Mexico political scientist Lonna Atkeson.

"They're certainly sending a clear signal about their expectation to continue in this race," Atkeson said. "What's bigger is — down the road, as the election comes — will questions about his health or the (U.S. attorney) story hurt his campaign?"

Asshat should retire in shame now.

[Darkhawk32]

1. That would be great. It would LIEberman irrelevant. n/t

[cascadiance]

13. Ha! I was thinking the same thing! Lieberman must be sweating bullets now!

My guess is that if Domenici gets replaced by a Democrat, Lieberman turns to being a Republican, loses his committee chairmanships and butts heads with Susan Collins over chairmanship of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee for the Republicans. If Lieberman wins that battle, guess who the Dems can target next to perhaps recruit over to their side! Susan Collins! She's up for re-election in 2008, and perhaps might be lead to realize that like other moderates in 2006, she might be the most likely to go down in 2008 if she weren't doing that. And she'd get chairmanship of this committee out of the whole deal too over Lieberman!

[solara]

2. Yes now, retire NOW ol' Pete

Please please retire now now -that- would be sweet

I wonder who Richardson would appoint to take his place?


INVESTIGATE IMPEACH INDICT IMPRECATE INCARCERATE :banghead:

:kick:

[SteppingRazor]

3. Would this mean another Dem pickup in the 2008 Senate races?

I'm thinking the Senate race would be a repeat of the New Mexico District 1 house race, pitting Rep. Heather Wilson against former state A.G. Patricia Madrid. With Wilson also damaged by the U.S. Attorney scandal, this could be a Dem pickup.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. HA! GUILTY as charged! All these corrupt rat bastards think all they have to do is RETIRE

and no one will care what they've done. I do hope Leahy doesn't let the asshole slither into his retirement hole PEACEFULLY. If the scandal investigation shows he was involved...he should pay for whatever crime or ETHICS violations he committed. Just because he retires, shouldn't let him off the hook.

I'm THRILLED that old geezer may be gone, but he should still be held responsible for any wrong- doing.

[Horse with no Name]

5. What are New Mexico's laws on replacing Congresscritters?

If he retired before 2008, that would be relevant, otherwise in 2008, wouldn't it just be the general election?

[Warpy]

10. The governor appoints an interim Senator

and our governor is a Democrat.

There's no way the old SOB will retire early.

[Horse with no Name]

12. I didn't think so

He will just abstain from running in 2008.
:rofl:

[Botany]

6. Why wait?

Why do in 2008 what you can do in 2007?

[Warpy]

7. That old fossil made noises about retirement

four years ago, but we knew it was too good to be true. He's got a soft life in the Senate, is able to throw his weight around all over the place, there's no way he'd give that up yet. Most of us expect him to do a Thurmond, to be a GOP place holder with "advisors" supplied by the corporate world to do his voting for him.

Every time he comes up for reelection, he puts on a big show about "saving" the local military bases from those old meanies in Washington who want to close them and all the amenities that the retired military here use. This is a huge military state, active and retired, and those folks believe the dog and pony show.

Our only hope is that the investigation into the illegal firings gets a little to hot for him, and retirement to Aruba starts to look really, really good.

[meldroc]

8. EXACTLY what's needed to expedite impeachment.

Face it, we've got scandal after scandal after scandal coming from the White House. Every time a White House scandal comes to bite a Congressional Republican in the ass, that brings them that much closer to throwing Bush and Cheney under the bus to save their own asses.

Let's see... So far, the GOP's lost Delay, Cunningham, Ney, and now Domenici and maybe Wilson, as well as a few others due to scandals with White House involvement. They already lost control of both houses of Congress, and some of them are in jail. That's very strong motivation to start acting to CYA. Many GOP Congressmen are already joining the Democrats in criticizing Bush on a regular basis. A few more scandals like this, maybe a couple more Congressmen forced to resign or thrown in prison, and they will vote for impeachment and removal from office.

[Ioo]

9. R or D as Gov of NM

[Jim Lane]

15. Dem - Bill Richardson

So I doubt Domenici would resign.

[cascadiance]

16. Hmm... He might not want to leave without a pension or with disgrace...

If he were faced with a Senate inquiry and expulsion like Bob Packwood faced, he might think twice and be more concerned about his own skin than the Repukes' future!

[Solly Mack]

11. and retire with benefits and a pension

....

[VP505]

14. We should be

so lucky that "Pajama" Pete would retire, his latest poke in the eye of his constituents was his vote yesterday against Gov funding stem cell research. Why anyone would be against putting some money into something that has so much potential to do good yet has no problem pissing away billions on other useless stuff is beyond me.

[fooj]

17. I watched him at the Senate hearing for the National Guard...

His behavior was shameful. The General gave him a tongue-lashing.

[EST]

18. Let it also be known and understood that

I will fire any democratic senator or house member who harbors an unshakable notion that a member's retirement is an acceptable outcome of corruption investigations. And I suspect I will get little argument from the majority of dems.

Allowing some political hack, no matter her/his label, to slink away and accepting momentary public contrition as suitable accountability for a lifetime of anti-American, anti public citizen activities is simply not acceptable.

People who seek higher office or higher responsibility and recognition should, if anything, be held to an even higher standard of performance and accountability than that of a private citizen.

When a police person is tragically murdered, especially in connection with the job, there is a hue and cry, way above the normal to find and bring to justice the perpetrator(s) and, generally, the penalties are more severe. We demand and expect, but seldom get, a higher capability and performance.
  This has to stop.

When we hire public officials, those who actually formulate and execute the laws, we are sold someone who claims to be more qualified than anyone else for that position, yet we are inundated with an amazing storm of "I don't knows," "I don't recalls," "it's not my faults," "lessons learned," "I sometimes misspeaks," on and on, ad nauseum.

This is totally unacceptable. If these jerks are truly corrupt, bilking the public to advance some ideology, then they are criminally culpable and should be tried and punished, in or out of office. If they ar criminally incompetent, as they often claim to be, then they need to be tried and punished for the con job they sold us. They are criminally culpable for the deception, ergo-corrupt, and should be firmly ensconced in one of those fine new jails they have built to house average, everyday citizens who have pulled no such public con job. Try them, confiscate their ill gotten gains, fine them severely and then imprison them or execute them as necessary-whether or not they have "resigned" in an attempt to deflect accountability. Especially if they have resigned, as that represents just one more attempt at another con job.

Grrrrrr-
soap box firmly kicked back under the bed.

[Supersedeas]

22. nice take.

[w4rma]

19. Gov. Richardson should run for Senator. (nt)

[Roland99]

20. I think he'd be a grand V.P. on a Gore/Richardson ticket.

:)

[w4rma]

21. I support Gore for the executive branch.

But I've had my fill of 'free' traders so I won't support Richardson for it.