Farewell Sneaky!

Rethug Senator "Sneaky" Pete Domenici (Rethug-NM) is expected to announce today his decision not to run next year. Sneaky has been damaged by his involvement in the U.S. Attorney scandal, when he tried to strong-arm U.S. Attorney David Iglesias into pursuing phony "voter fraud" allegations against Democrats just prior to the November 2006 elections. Sneaky has long been a Bushit enabler and a loyal patron of the oil/gas/nuclear energy industries. Best of all, his departure puts another Senate seat in the likely "D" column, with some strong Democratic contenders including Rep. Tom Udall, and Albuquerque mayor Martin Chavez.

(photo: Chimpy and Sneaky, happy together)

Sneaky Pete's Dilemma, Part II

As noted in our March 6 posting, Sen. Pete "Sneaky Pete" Domenici has acknowledged calling a now fired Federal prosecutor (at home on a Saturday, no less) to "inquire" about the status of investigations of some Democratic politicians prior to the November 2006 elections. This is a violation of Senate ethics rules, and it appears that Sneaky Pete has lawyered up. As TPM notes, ironically he's retained the same defense counsel as jailed former Rethuglican Congressman Duke Cunningham. Good luck, Sneaky!