Pete "The Drill" Domenici

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is holding his ground on not allowing offshore drilling.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that he would not allow a vote on an amendment giving states new authority to seek oil off their coasts when he brings a Democratic energy bill to the floor later this month.

In a sign of escalating tensions, one senior GOP senator called Reid a “chicken” for deciding not to allow amendments on energy production, prompting a Reid spokesman to say that “name calling won't lower the price of oil and gasoline.”

The Senator that called Reid chicken is Pete Domenici. This is the same Pete Domenici that is not seeking re-election because of his role in the U.S. Attorneys scandal.

"Does it seem to you like it does to me like Harry Reid is either scared chicken to have a vote, or has decided that he's going to dictate to the United States Senate?" the ranking Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee said, turning to Alexander at a GOP press conference. "I don't know if you'll use the word 'chicken,' but I will because that's what he's saying: He's saying, 'I'm frightened by the idea that we're going to actually have a vote on a new plan for this huge, huge, reserve of gas and oil that belongs to none other than the people of the United States.' "

Rodell Mollineau, a Reid spokesman, shot back at Domenici.

“Sticks and stones may break our bones, but name calling won't lower the price of oil and gasoline,” Mollineau said. “This is the U.S. Senate, not a schoolyard. If Republicans are serious about solving our energy crisis they will work with us this month to rein in greedy speculators, pass renewable tax credits and pressure oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres they already have.”

"Chicken" and "sticks and stones may break our bones." Was someone holding back on "liar, liar pants on fire" as the knockout shot? This is so asinine.

As for Domenici, the Republicans for Environmental Protection gave him a zero rating. The REP report listed Domenici has having the worst environmental voting record of any Republican Senator during the 2006 session. Domenici's desire to drill for oil cost him points.

I find it funny that Domenici judges a person's manhood by putting a drill in the ground. The Freudian implications are endless.

Another One Bites the Dust

The U.S. Attorney's scandal is taking it's toll on the Republican Party. First it was Karl Rove. Then Alberto Gonzales. Now Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) will not seek reelection.

Domenici called Alberto Gonzales and asked that U.S. Attorney David Iglesias be fired. Domenici pressed Iglesias as to if any Democrats were named in corruption cases in sealed indictments. The contents of sealed indictments are not to be discussed with officials not involved in pending cases. Domenici was attempting to obtain information he had no legal right to. The fact that he called Iglesias at his home is unheard of.

Domenici wanted Democratic corruption cases announced before the election. He wanted a scandal to affect the outcome of congressional races in New Mexico.

He made a call to Karl Rove to have Iglesias removed.

At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.

Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.

The conversation between Bush and Domenici occurred sometime after the election but before the firings of Iglesias and six other U.S. attorneys were announced on Dec. 7.

The stench of this scandal goes as far as Bush. The players involved are going to need good legal council. This could go on well after the next presidential election.

The issue isn't that U.S. Attorneys serve as the President's pleasure (which is true.) It's that the White House was using the power of the Justice Department to help rig elections in the Republican Party's favor. The witch-hunting of Democrats and bogus voter fraud cases thrown out of court were about keeping a political party in power. The people in the White House were sworn to uphold the law. Not use it to club opponents to death.

Write A Caption: Dubya & Pete Domenici Edition

Red Flags

The Albuquerque Journal has a must-read article on Republican Senator Pete Domenici appealing to the Justice Department and White House to fire U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.

Domenici first tried to get Iglesias transferred to the White House. Domenici called Attorney General Alberto Gonzales late last year to have Iglesias fired. Gonzales told the Senator he would do so only at the request of the President. The question is did Domenici's converstation with the AG happen after the Senator had this conversation with Iglesias.

Fired U.S. Attorney David Iglesias testified today that he "felt sick" after an October phone call from his onetime mentor, U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, asking whether indictments in an Albuquerque corruption case would be issued before the November elections.

"He asked, `Are those going to be filed before November?' " Iglesias told the Senate Judiciary Committee. "I said I didn't think so. He said, `I'm very sorry to hear that.' And then the line went dead.

"I felt sick afterwards," Iglesias said. "I felt leaned on to get this moving."

Domenici wanted to pressure the U.S. Atorney's office to announce Democratic corruption cases before the election. What makes the story more chilling is that the Senator called Iglesias at his home. That is unheard of. The target was Congressional candidate Democrat Patricia Madrid. She was running against Heather Wilson. She also played phone tag.

Iglesias said Wilson called him about Oct. 16 and said "she had been hearing about sealed indictments. What can you tell me about sealed indictments?"

"Red flags went up," Iglesias said. "We cannot talk about sealed indictments."

Domenici took his complaints to Karl Rove.

At some point after the election last Nov. 6, Domenici called Bush's senior political adviser, Karl Rove, and told him he wanted Iglesias out and asked Rove to take his request directly to the president.

Domenici and Bush subsequently had a telephone conversation about the issue.

The conversation between Bush and Domenici occurred sometime after the election but before the firings of Iglesias and six other U.S. attorneys were announced on Dec. 7.

The timing of all this reeks of political payback. The White House is in damage control mode. Everyone's favorite email buddy Scott Jennings sent out the missive.

I just received a phone call from Steve Bell, Sen. Domenici's CoC, who is urgently reporting the following:

He is allegedly going to say that he was contacted by two Members of Congress last fall regarding the investigation into the courthouse construction corruption case. Information on this is in the following article.
http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2006/dec/19/federal-attorneys-plans-step-down-iglesias-investig/

This people are introuble and they know it.

Update: Here is Iglesias's Senate testimony of the phone call.

Monica Goodling Takes Fifth

Alberto Gonzales senior council Monica Goodling will not testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. She is invoking the fifth amendment.

"I have decided to follow my lawyer's advice and respectfully invoke my constitutional right, because the above-described circumstances present a perilous environment in which to testify," Goodling says.

Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM) called the Attorney General's office, for the third time, to complain about U.S. Attorney David Iglesias. Kyle Sampson, William Moschella and Monica Goodling talked with Domenici about Iglesias.

Goodling has enlisted the legal services of John M. Dowd and Jeffery M. King of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. King has defended clients using the fifth amendment defense. They issued a press release.

We represent Ms. Monica Goodling, Council to the Attorney General and White House Liaison. We were advised today by council to the Committee on the Judiciary that the Committee seeks Ms. Goodling's testimony with respect to the Committee's inquiry into the firings of United States Attorneys.

Please be advised that Ms. Goodling will, opon our advise, assert her fifth amendment privilege as to any and all questions related to that subject matter...

Patrick Leahy responds to Goodling taking the fifth.

“It is disappointing that Ms. Goodling has decided to withhold her important testimony from the Committee as it pursues its investigation into this matter, but everybody has the constitutional right not to incriminate themselves with regard to criminal conduct.

“The American people are left to wonder what conduct is at the base of Ms. Goodling’s concern that she may incriminate herself in connection with criminal charges if she appears before the Committee under oath.“

The administration is blaming Goodling for not properly informing Gonzales of the U.S. Attorney purge. The latest document dump proves Gonzales was aware of the firings.

The hour-long November meeting in the attorney general's conference room included Gonzales, Deputy Attorney General Paul J. McNulty and four other senior Justice officials, including the Gonzales aide who coordinated the firings, then-Chief of Staff D. Kyle Sampson, records show.

Documents detailing the previously undisclosed meeting appear to conflict with remarks by Gonzales at a March 13 news conference in which he portrayed himself as a CEO who had delegated to Sampson responsibility for the particulars of firing eight U.S. attorneys.

The White House would have been better just releasing all the document in the beginning and getting the story off the front page. Instead they gave the finger to Congress and chose to get caught putting false statements in the media. Wiretapping and Abu Ghraib were far more serious offenses. The White House decided to fight Congress over U.S. Attorneys that the President has the right to fire at any time. The purging reeks of corruption and intimidating U.S. Attorneys to take cases for partisan reasons. This was still a story they could have gotten off the front page if their political instincts weren't Nixonian.

Bushies Try Something New, Honesty

It is amazing what a change in the majority parties of the House and the Senate will do for honesty. The White House admits tthe firing of seven U.S. attorneys were not because of performance. Justice Department officials admit that Alberto Gonzales approved the terminations. Republican Senatator Pete Domenici told the New York Times that he asked the Justice Department to fire David C. Iglesias.

Democrats scared the shit out of the Bushies after issuing subpoenas. The Bushies know they are screwed and realize it is better to be candid in the media than under oath. I don't see how Gonzales is getting out of this untainted. Gonzales was horrible testifying to the subcommittee with a Republican majority. I don't see his speaking skills suddenly improving. Gonzales also is deeply connected to the torture policy.

He could quickly become a liability for Bush. Gonzales is not a star (and never will be) in his own party. He is boring and the base doubts he is a social conservative. Let's not forget the base hates Latinos. Gonzales is equal parts Mel Martinez and Harriet Miers with more baggage.

Update: Pete Domenici was previously asked about accusations that he had a hand in David Iglesias's termination.

In a brief interview Thursday, Domenici also denied the accusation. "I don't have any comment," he told The Associated Press. "I have no idea what he's talking about."

No idea my ass.