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Bush visit highlights hurdles for Domenici
Photo by Michael J. GallegosTribune
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Terry Riley helps his mother, Rhoda Riley, roll her wheelchair closer to the street as they wait for President Bush's motorcade on Rio Grande Boulevard Northwest this morning. A private fund-raiser for Sen. Pete Domenici was being held a few blocks away.
Photo by Craig FritzTribune
Tribune
Air Force One taxis toward a podium set up for President Bush to make remarks on arrival at Kirtland Air Force Base this morning. Bush spoke briefly on progress in Iraq. He did not mention the resignation today of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.
Photo by Michael J. GallegosTribune
Tribune
Bruce Barnaby waves his sign to cars along Rio Grande Boulevard Northwest this morning. The president's motorcade did not actually pass the group of 30-40 protesters.
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SANTA FE — A few dozen protesters attempted to greet President Bush in Los Ranchos de Albuquerque today for a closed fund-raiser with U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican.
The protest, largely focused on the war in Iraq, combined with today's resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to highlight the potential pitfalls facing Domenici as he embarks on a re-election campaign.
Analysts, however, say neither the unpopular war nor the handling of the Justice Department under Gonzales is likely to sway the 200 invited guests for the president's visit.
"He's here for a private fund-raiser with highly partisan Republicans," said Christine Sierra, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico. "They are probably the kind who will stay the course no matter what happens."
Bush's plane landed at Kirtland Air Force Base shortly before noon. He made brief remarks on progress in Iraq before heading off to the fund-raiser. He did not address Gonzales' resignation. Bush was scheduled to fly out again this afternoon.
Some 30 to 40 protesters lined Rio Grande Boulevard just south of the site of the fund-raiser, but Bush's motorcade didn't pass them.
Loosely associated with the group Code Pink, they said their problems with Bush and Domenici include the Iraq war and health care.
Barbara Saiz, 57, was decked out in straw hat and bright pink T-shirt. She had granddaughter Adrianna Sanchez, 10, along for the ride in a bright pink wagon.
"I always wanted to do this in the Õ60s, but I never got the chance. So here I am," Saiz said.
As with other Republican candidates across the country, Domenici's relationship with a broadly unpopular president presents a difficult political tight-rope.
No Democratic candidate who is seen as a real threat to Domenici has emerged, but Domenici's approval rating has declined steadily in recent months, a drop generally attributed to the war and Domenici's role in the firing of former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias.
Observers say the resignation of Gonzales has the potential to take some of the pressure off the second issue.
"It depends on how the Democrats in Congress handle it," Lonna Atkeson, a political science professor at UNM, said. "They might see political reasons for continuing their hearings. But with Gonzales out of the picture, that might come to seem like beating a dead horse."
The fund-raiser today should dispel any doubts that Domenici is serious about his re-election bid, analysts say.
"He's fully engaged in his re-election," said Doug Turner of the public relations firm DW Turner Inc.
"He's going to run strong. He's going to do what he does best," said Turner, who managed the campaign of former Republican Gov. Gary Johnson.
Questions have swirled about whether Domenici, 75, is up for the challenge and why - after 34 years in Congress - he wouldn't want to kick back and enjoy some New Mexico sunsets.
Whether Domenici, long the state's powerhouse legislator, really needs any help winning is debatable.
"When does Sen. Domenici need help from a weakened president is the question," Sierra said. "Bush isn't exactly the drawing card many people want to see these days."
But Turner said the president is still a draw among the party faithful. The Domenici campaign wouldn't have invited Bush if he wasn't a plus for the senator, Turner said.
"I honestly think Domenici's fund-raisers know exactly what kind of draw President Bush is, and I know they have a fairly clear expectation of the money they can raise," Turner said.
Tickets for the event are $1,000, while a photo opportunity with the president costs $5,000.
Already, Domenici is more than $1 million ahead of his nearest competitors - all of whom are Democrats. No Republicans have said they are considering challenging Domenici in the primary election.
Three men - developer Don Wiviott and housing advocate Jim Hannan, both of Santa Fe, and alternative newspaper publisher Leland Lehrman of Lamy - have announced they are seeking the Democratic nod to face Domenici.
Hannan has been the most visible of the three, with newspaper ads running in several cities. Wiviott has the most money, kicking in $400,000 of his own cash.
So far, however, a group called Americans United for Change has been seen even more.
The group is airing TV ads this week blasting the senator for supporting the war in Iraq and urging viewers to call on him to end the war.
Josh Geise, who works for the group locally, said the war has reached a critical point.
"We're at a point where some members (of Congress) have to choose if we want to continue Bush's policy of stay the course," Geise said.
But Domenici is getting urged from the other side as well.
Another group, Freedom's Watch, also has ads out across the country, urging Congress to stay the course. This one features a young member of the military with two prosthetic legs.
"If we pull out now, everything I've given and sacrificed will mean nothing," the unidentified man says.
"It's no time to quit," he says. "It's no time for politics."
Tribune reporter Lorinda Toledo contributed to this story.
