A flip-flop I can respect Congress, New Mexico, Policy Issues, Senators

Chalk up a big victory for conservation in New Mexico and the West:

In a stunning turn of events Thursday that has all the earmarks of smart politics, Republican Sen. Pete Domenici of Albuquerque reversed his long-standing opposition to protecting [Valle Vidal] the tract.

Domenici, who had bottled up Valle Vidal protection legislation in his committee this year, suddenly released the enabling legislation Thursday, brought it to the Senate floor with the support of fellow New Mexico Democratic Sen. Jeff Bingaman - a steadfast supporter of Valle Vidal protection - and saw it pass the Republican- dominated Senate unanimously.

That's not all. Domenici, who is chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which Bingaman will take over next year, said he "is confident" that President Bush will sign the bill protecting the 101,784-acre preserve from oil and gas drilling.

This was on the top of the conservationist agenda for many years and should be seen as a great victory in the preservation of our natural resources.

This may have something to do with his certain re-election in 2008:

Domenici told me one day after the election, and again on Friday, that he fully intends to run for a seventh term in 2008. He said despite some injuries and related health problems that have nagged him for years, he'd still rather report to the Senate every morning than sit home watching the action on C-Span.

While Domenici is certainly favored to win re-election by a wide margin, it is hard not to see moves like this as either A: securing his legacy, in preparation for retirement or B: appealing the conservationist lobby. Since Domenici has held the legislation down for so long, it makes you wonder if the senior senator is seriously thinking of retirement.

Check out the great posts by New Mexico FBIHOP about the possible race for Pete's Seat. I'd love to see Udall make the move, but maybe that's my NM-3 bias...

Landon Mascareñaz | November 20, 2006 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) Permalink: A flip-flop I can respect Congress, New Mexico, Policy Issues, Senators

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