Leave it to David Iglesias to bring us back from the dead…

Sort of…

Like, oh’mi GOSH! The Wednesday Morning Quarterback is writing something today – that’s like so COOL…

AND WE HAVE A BIG ANNOUNCEMENT today – so read on, friends…

Because unlike David Iglesias, we too could have spent our time “sleeping in” today, but we opted to get up and go to work…because COME ON!

We know you saw this article – front page of the Washington Post yesterday – and sorry, but we just couldn’t let some of that UHGGGG, slide.

First, what is up with the Post slamming New Mexico so badly?

Dear reporter Sridhar Pappu –

Albuquerque is not “formed” by a “dusty, desolate collection of adobe homes and Vietnamese restaurants”, thank you very much.

Haven’t you seen Governor Richardson’s billboards???

Or our float in the Rose Bowl Parade???

And DUDE – great literary connection between feasting coyotes and the poor political tangles that forced-to-quit US Attorney David Iglesias has found himself in. But seriously…did you actually HEAR those mountain lions that you wrote about, or did David Iglesias just tell you about them?

Uh huh…

We’re surprised Pappu managed to escape the Disneyland-like outdoor adventure, complete with “hot tub”, to make it safely back inside that protective Beltway in order to write this GREAT story…

Because we loved this David Iglesias quote – “Had I stayed a US attorney and not gotten forced to resign, no one would know who I was outside of New Mexico. In a perverse way this has already put me on the national map.”

We’ll agree with the “perverse” description, for sure.

Leastways, with Iglesias’s desire to be on the cover of Vanity Fair.

One of the “rumors” we heard from Iglesias’s early years of service with the Albuquerque City Attorney’s office was that he would walk the halls and claim that one day he’d be on the cover of Vanity Fair…

Seriously…

And we never wrote about it because who would be so ODD as to make such a claim?

We were skeptical, for sure.

But yesterday, he said “I’m really surprised we haven’t been contacted by magazines like Vanity Fair or the Atlantic for a larger story. I like them.”

Aye aye aye…

And look…anybody who thinks “Schumer, Leahy, and Feinstein” are just loving and helpful people who are willing to cross party lines to support a floundering Republican because they just really CARE about him…

Oh my…

But here’s a voice of reason from John McKay, the former US Attorney in Washington, who said yesterday, “I wasn’t looking for attention, and it was pretty miserable, quite frankly. Others have said ‘Oh boy, it’s good you got all this attention.’ I’m never going to feel that way.”

But not our very own David Iglesias - who told the Washington Post THIS...

That “One day he found (his wife) Cindy weeping, face-down on the carpet of their bedroom closet.”

That’s nice…

And AGAIN – why are we bothering with all of this?

The WMQB – along with many others – has been saying since this news fiasco erupted that somehow there was a disconnect between what the Department of Justice saw in Iglesias’s work, and what was seen on the ground here in New Mexico.

The DOJ had good progress reports for him, while STUFF just wasn’t getting done.

We believe that if David Iglesias had put a quarter of the energy he is now using to gain public, national, notoriety into prosecuting cases of public corruption and voter fraud while US Attorney, then nobody, including his old “friends and allies”, would have had any reason to BITCH about his job performance in the first place.


This ran last week in the Kansas City Star –

Former ACORN worker pleads guilty in voter fraud caseBy MARK MORRIS
The Kansas City Star

A former voter registration worker for a community organization pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to filing false paperwork with the Kansas City election board.
Carmen R. Davis, 38, was charged in January with committing voter registration fraud and identity theft before the November elections. The charges against her and three other former ACORN workers have become a national issue…Earlier this week, Dale D. Franklin, who pleaded guilty in February to filing false voter registrations, received probation. Brian Gardner pleaded guilty in March and is awaiting sentencing. Kwaim A. Stenson is set for trial in July.

Uhh…you mean filing FALSE VOTER REGISTRATIONS is against the law??? And to think there were thousands upon thousands of them in New Mexico in 2004…and not a single prosecution…

And in case you missed this letter in the Albuquerque Journal yesterday –

Give Iglesias Taste Of Own Medicine
DAVID IGLESIAS, the former U.S. attorney for New Mexico, says he cannot locate sufficient evidence to justify his firing, so he now demands a federal government Office of Special Counsel investigation.
I don't have any personal information about his Department of Justice foreign trips, or whether he ignored public corruption crimes. I do know about his failure to do anything about crimes involving my family.
In 2004, before the November election, my 13-year-old son's name, along with someone else's Social Security number and date of birth, were stolen by an ACORN employee to successfully obtain a fraudulent voter registration. Once I brought this case to light, other cases of fraud and forgery involving this particular ACORN employee, as well as others, began to surface in New Mexico.
Despite widespread media coverage, a lawsuit and a personal complaint by me to the task force set up by Iglesias, I have never received a response from his office. If Iglesias' office did not want to prosecute these federal felony cases, as he says lately, then why weren't the cases referred to the state level where forgeries of this nature are also fourth-degree felonies?
As a voter and a father with nearly 22 years of law enforcement experience, I am amazed at the apparent level of malfeasance exhibited in my family's case. In my opinion, Iglesias deserved to be removed from his post.
When my family needed Iglesias to just do his job and prosecute clear crimes, he did nothing. Now that Iglesias has lost his high-level political job, he wants a federal investigation of his complaint. I hope his investigation is performed in the same manner and by the same people who were supposed to help my family and New Mexico voters.
GLEN STOUT
Albuquerque

OK – enough about Iglesias…for now.

But don’t miss PBS’s The Line this Friday night at 7:00 pm, Channel 5, where we’ll be welcoming former Democrat Party Chairman John Wertheim for a wrap-up discussion on Monica Goodling’s testimony scheduled for today, and it’s New Mexico fallout.

BUT WAIT – we’re not quite done – we have a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT to make…

We’re closing up shop over here at the WMQB.

We’ve had it with blogging. We’re done.

NOT!

Actually…we’re proud to be joining what is turning into a growing and very successful political blog - Heath Haussamen’s blog.

Heath has earned a solid reputation for covering New Mexico politics in an honest and straightforward manner, and we’re proud to be part of his efforts to bring the best coverage, and the best commentary, (so says us) to this desolate, rocky, and wild part of the world known as New Mexico.

Yeehaw!!

And since we are at no loss in this state for over-the-top grandiose statements about self-importance, we’ll say our JUMP is “One small step for man, one giant leap for woman-kind”

Now that’s silly…

So next Wednesday, check out Heath’s blog for our first WMQB commentary in a new SETTING. We’ll try to write every Wednesday, so keep the comments and tips coming.

OH – and if you’re concerned that Heath has fallen off the boat and gone RIGHT – think again…The WMQB shall be balanced out by some-yet-to-be-identified leftist commentator…

As if the Internet needs more of those…

OK – thanks for stopping in – come visit us next week at our new home…we’ll turn the porch light on…

Even WE’RE missing the Wednesday Morning Quarterback!

Especially today…

Is it May yet?

We were trying like all HECK to not work much in April…and we almost made it – but after reading the post-NM-Convention spin from around the state…well…here we are.

Our take on the Dem’s Chairman election and state convention this weekend?

BORING!

Colon won, as everyone expected. He had support from the progressive side of the party as well as those closer to the mainstream, and he’s expected by his party faithful to do good things over the next two years.

And he’ll have his work cut out for him…because can you imagine the load he’ll have to lift in NM if his party ACTUALLY nominates Hillary Clinton for Pres?

Ruh roh…

Anyway…maybe she can buy some cool cowgirl boots and change her accent to SWING those western swing voters…that’d help Colon deliver the state for her, no?

But on to more INTERESTING things…how about that GOP convention?

The WMQB was there, soaking it all in, and VOTING even though Bern Co Chair and candidate for SOMETHING Fernando C De Baca tried to keep many of us from doing so (yes, we were on the LIST with other activists that he tried to boot…but whatever).

So here’s some of OUR thoughts…

#1 – The Earl Greer “slate” really screwed up when they decided to run against Weh…without announcing they were running against Weh.

Because for the most part, GOP activists and insiders are a pretty straight shooting group of people…and they don’t like tricks or lies or games. There were a WHOLE lot of complaints about how the challenging “slate” handled their candidacy from the get-go – an underhanded tactic which probably cost them more votes than anything the Weh camp did or didn’t do.

Greer and his team, including C De Baca, were on the campaign trail for many weeks, not 48 hours…They just weren’t telling the truth about what they were doing…and the activists knew that.

#2 – Anyone who claims that the much-loved former Bern Co Executive Director Fran Langholf isn’t in good enough standing to cast a vote for Chairman is OH SO NOT BRIGHT…

The “kick ‘em out list” sent out by C De Baca right before the election was really NOT thought out well. It turned out to be the first on-paper shot fired in the campaigns for Chairmen, (regardless of how they tried to spin the mistake afterward)and really hacked a lot of people off…

And it also gets to the heart of one of OUR problems with the Party…what’s up with requiring dues to participate? Many activists give a TON of money to candidates and they give a ton of time…The Party ought to be able to raise the money they need to keep the doors open instead of extorting it from those people who already give so much.

But that’s just us…

ANYWAY…

#3 – It’s about the GREEN, Jelly Bean!

Look…This wasn’t a personality contest. This wasn’t a vote for prom queen. Because no offense Mr. Chairman, but you’re no Senior Favorite!

When GOP insiders handed Weh his sizeable victory on Saturday, they did so NOT because he gives everyone the warm fuzzies, but because he’s a proven fundraiser and MOST FOLKS KNOW that winning this state for George W. Bush in 2004 (especially with the Party in a Gorham-just-resigned mess) and holding Heather Wilson’s seat AND our NM House seats in 2006 when the national TIDE washed the GOP away…were substantial victories.

SUBSTANTIAL…

FOLKS – for GOPers, obtaining the status quo in 2006 was a SUBSTANTIAL victory.

Period…And a good majority of the State Central Committee knew that…

OK…

#4 – If a good majority of the State Central Committee knew that…how come Greer and C De Baca, didn’t?

Now look…there can always be an argument made for HOW the Party should be run. Clearly, Greer and many of his supporters wanted to see better communication and more support for the county parties (many county chairmen didn’t have a problem, but some did, and that’s ok). But to say the NM GOP FAILED in 2006 is just flat wrong, and speaks volumes about those who delivered that message.

#5 – Speaking about those who delivered that message…and we’re getting to the point about why we’re here TODAY – let’s talk about Dem Blogger Joe Monahan…

What Monahan had to say TA-DAY...

The party that could least afford it showed the most division this weekend, signaling that the longtime majority Democrats face no imminent threat as they prepare for Campaign '08 under the leadership of their new chairman, ABQ attorney Brian Colón.

OK – since it takes too long to keep typing "Dem Blogger Joe Monahan", we’re just going to call him DBJM from now on…

DBJM thinks that a Weh re-election means the D’s are going to win everything in 2008? WOW…sounds like there’s some BITTER stuff going on at camp DEM right now.

Meanwhile, the Grand Old Party again selected Allen Weh as their state chair, but not before another bout of infighting that has haunted the GOP for the last four years.

Four years of infighting at the GOP? Nobody challenged Allen Weh’s placement in 2004, nobody ran against him in 2005, and nobody came close to beating him in 2007. So WHATEVER…Can’t the GOP have a healthy dialog without DBJM writing that it is a house DIVIDED? Dear DBJM – how DIVIDED do you think the GOP will be when Hillary sets up shop here next year?

Weh managed a 57% win over late entrant Earl Greer of T or C, but most analysts saw Greer as a weak contender who only made his candidacy official less than 48 hours before Saturday's ABQ NM GOP central committee meeting and failed to articulate why he should be selected.

HEY! Don’t bag on Greer! He was running for a lot longer than 48 hours, and he articulated his position perfectly. It was just that enough folks weren’t buying what he was selling…

Rather than an affirmation of current GOP leadership, Weh's re-election was thus read as a compliment to his organizational ability which Greer supporters said had the assistance of the Republican National Committee, but not a negation of charges that he has run the party mainly for the Bush White House and his patron, ABQ GOP Rep. Heather Wilson.

OK – what a load of crap. The vote WAS an affirmation of Weh’s ability…and if he put together a better organization for an election in front of a couple hundred people, we’re guessing that’s because he’s a better campaigner than his CHALLENGERS were…Say, do you think that’s an important attribute for a Party leader? And oh – what EXACTLY did the RNC do in this race? Facts, DBJM…facts, please…it’s these kinds of desperate accusations that COST you credibility in OUR Party…

Would-be reformers of the GOP were regretful at not having the chance to take the weakened Weh out with a first-rate opponent. That dream ended abruptly when Roswell oilman Mark Murphy, who has tangled with the far-right element of the party represented by Roswell State Senator Rod Adair and to a lesser extent by Roswell State Rep. Dan Foley, decided not to make the run.

Umm…this is our favorite one…Mark Murphy would have been a first-rate opponent? The guy who got fired from the Chaves County Executive Committee because he’s been so “divisive”? The guy who backed EVERY failing campaign against mainstream R’s in Chaves County in Primary 2006? The guy who employed a Green Party consultant to try and get his “things” done? The guy whose entire "team" backed Chaves County Democrats in the 2006 general election? The guy whose entire team is all tighty-tight with DBJM? And the guy who was behind the scenes in this Chairman's race where Greer supporters were making calls to delegates saying that if they voted for Greer and he won, Mark Murphy would handle the fundraising for the GOP? Maybe what they meant was that Murphy would help raise millions of dollars no matter WHO won the race for Chairman...now wouldn't THAT be nice?

No wonder DBJM says he was first rate…you’re first rate, too, DBJM!

BTW - DBJM's so called Adair/Dendahl/Barnett BREAK AWAY faction? Those defined-by-DBJM candidates averaged 65% of the vote on Saturday...So COME ON! ENOUGH!

OK...enough on DBJM...we're giving ourselves a headache...


#6 – The Kakuska win in the 2nd Congressional District was WAY interesting…

We heard the same thing running around the convention as did blogger Heath Haussamen – that his win was due in part to State Rep and previous opponent Nora Espinoza wanting to extend the olive branch and offer support for the “home team”. The Kakuska-Espinoza primary race of 2006 was one of the hottest in the state so the willingness of the Chaves delegation to support the Murphy-backed loser was certainly notable.

#7 - The olive branch theme was a big one by the time the voting was done on Saturday. Many of the “beefs” from around the state had merit. And votes for Greer had merit. His run had merit even if his message of past failure did not…and most folks in ‘the room’ got that. The “let’s get back to work” feeling on Sunday was definitely the most pervasive…regardless of what DBJM and his friends say…

HOLY COW this was long…if we don’t write tomorrow, it’s because we're assuming that you’re still reading this one from today.

It’s good to see you all again…send us your tips, your quips, and your…whatever else rhymes with that…we’ll read them!

Are you still here?

We’re glad to see you…after a little Spring Break R & R.

Welcome back to the Wednesday Morning Quarterback!

Yes…New Mexico has been a BUSY place since we took OFF –

Presidential candidate and NM Gov Bill Richardson reported raising about six million for the national “contest” while front runner Hillary Clinton posted $36 million. We’ve been saying for quite some time that a “respectable” fundraising operation for the Gov would have to place him at about 30% of the top tier candidates….and he missed that by about one-half. Woopsie… But six mill isn’t too bad if you’re going for Secretary of State, instead…

And it’s been a BUSY two weeks for NM Economic Development Sec Rick Homans, who not only saw Dona Ana County pass his Spaceport Tax hike (a needed component for the BIG DEAL with Sir Richard Branson and Virgin Galactic) but is now staring a possible run for NM’s 1st Congressional District in the EYE. The DCCC is now openly and actively seeking “takers” to challenge R incumbent Heather Wilson, and it looks like they may find a friend in Richardson’s Econ Guy. While others are being “interviewed”, a Homans “entrance” might be the most interesting. How much of the race would be about Heather Wilson, and how much would be about Bill Richardson? Would the voters of ABQ be any more likely to elect him now than they were in 2001, when he was soundly defeated in his race for Mayor?

We’ll go out on another WMQB prediction limb and say that if Homans is in, Terry Brunner and Al Park will be out.

That’s a stretch, we know (yeah, right) – but OK! The WMQB can’t wait for an announcement in THIS one, for sure…

AND of course – the Courthouse bombshell and all the fallout. Not surprisingly, Manny Aragon is saying he’s innocent (given the history of public corruption convictions in front of a jury in this state, why not?). And now, ABQ City Councilors Brad Winter and Debbie O’Malley are introducing legislation to audit all of the city projects that admitted scandaler Mark Schiff was involved with. That includes a WHOLE lot of work done at the Albuquerque Balloon Park and Museum.


And by the way – how long do you think the local and national media will continue to say that this is a Democrat corruption deal, when the lobbyist at the heart of the mess is the former REPUBLICAN Mayor of Albuquerque? Who has himself contributed to Republican candidates and elected officials?

Could it be POSSIBLE that Republican leaders wanted to see CRIMINALS BROUGHT TO JUSTICE because they broke the law…and NOT because they were Democrats?

It’s not like former US Atty David Iglesias didn’t know that Republicans were being investigated when he spun his spin on The Hill…

But then again, maybe he didn’t know. It’s hard to tell how involved he was with the actual investigations and prosecutions in his own office.

But we digress.

If you haven’t seen the latest discussion on David Iglesias, make sure you see this and this from the Albuquerque Journal yesterday.

Las Cruces DA Suzanna Martinez’s comments have added a HUGE level of legitimacy to the discussion over Iglesias’s leadership and prosecutorial focus.

Because Martinez has a reputation for TIRELESS work when it comes to prosecutions, lobbying the legislature for tougher laws, and advocacy for victims…especially child victims.

She is, in our humble opinion, an unquestionable source.

And of great interest to US was the discussion over Iglesias’s choice to pick the easier cases to get his “numbers” right, instead of the tougher cases that actually meant something to law enforcement. We’ve mentioned that liklihood here on the WMQB before.

The Journal said, in part:

"It doesn't matter if the case is a complicated multi-defendant conspiracy or a mule (a person transporting) carrying marijuana across the border," one federal prosecutor told the Journal. "Those cases are essentially the same when reduced to the numbers."
The temptation is to take the simpler "mule" cases over those more difficult to prosecute but that might have significant impact on drug trafficking.

So what happens when the bureaucracy points to its little formulas for “numbers” to show prosecutorial success in over ninety districts across the country, and the folks on the ground see the day in and day out NOTHINGNESS?

Umm...people on the ground, complain...

OK – If you missed The Line this week – it’s below. Local radio host TJ Trout joined us for a discussion about BYE BYE Don Imus.



OK – back tomorrow…we promise…

The ever changing David Iglesias story –

Some new radio ads, and how about some housekeeping?

Thanks for stopping in.

YES – we realize that there is MUCH to talk about on the New Mexico political field – but it seems to US that every time David Iglesias opens his mouth, he says something different, or contradictory, or just odd…

Anyway – The Washington Post has now run with a headline “Fired NM prosecutor says he has no plan to run for office”

Ya think???

We already assumed that he would never run because there would be no one to help him (The Dems can use him as their poster boy for Republican bashing while he’s a Republican, but they’d never help to elect him based on his personal and political beliefs)

But this was his justification for NOT running–

"I have to pay for four weddings and four college tuitions in the next 10 years," he said, reiterating that it would take "a miracle" for him to seek public office any time soon.

Money, it looks like, is Mr. Iglesias’s motivating factor. We’ve talked about this quite a bit here on the WMQB in the past weeks.

But a “miracle”? Divine intervention? In politics?

Aye aye aye…

“The Red Sea will part, and David Iglesias will run against Heather Wilson for US Congress because it’s God’s will.”

Reminds us of his testimony comparing the day he was fired to Pearl Harbor Day...

Are we having a problem with grandiosness-egomanic-overdoneness????

AND we would LOVE to know what would be so INTERESTING about his so-called “book”...

Who would want to read it…or even publish it…since he says he won’t “kiss and tell”?

Because - like - oh mi God! Like we believe THAT!

Besides…it’s not the “kiss and telling” that would be a problem…it’s the “kiss and overstate-and-inflate-to-the-point-of-lying” that’s a bit worrisome…

But we digress...

How about this statement made in the Washington Post -

"Iglesias said he thoroughly examined the allegations of voter fraud but could not find sufficient evidence to bring charges, opting instead to start a task force to examine the issue."

NOW Iglesias says he set up the task force AFTER he investigated all the voter fraud instead of putting it together TO investigate?

The Task Force was intended to STUDY?

Holy cow...Total craziness...

Can we get this guy to testify under oath? With transcripts?

Enough is enough...

OK – being reported everywhere from the Albuquerque Journal, to the Washington Post – is the little Group that Could – New Mexicans for Honest Courts – who have launched a radio ad attacking Iglesias’s record as a US Attorney. You can listen to it here.

OH – now this is a FUNNY ONE –

From yesterday’s Albuquerque Journal online “news seeker” –

"I think it's sad when Republicans eat their own," Farrauto (NM Dem Party Executive Director) said, referring to Iglesias, a former GOP up-and-comer.

AHHH! Does anyone remember Dem Party Executive Director Matt Farrauto crashing a President Bush re-election event in 2004 when Georgia's former Governor and current Democrat Senator Zell Miller was in town to campaign for him?

Farrauto handed out fliers at the bi-partisan event that claimed “Zell Miller is Nuts” – and oh boy, did the rhetoric go down hill from there.

Talk about eating your own…

ANYWAY –

The Senate v. Bill Richardson showdown over the Special – I’m – Running – For –Vice – President (oops, sorry, that would be President) – Session is still a-going on…

Will Dem Senator Michael Sanchez stick it to Big Bill again and shut er down? For all the world to see? Or will the full weight of the fourth floor…and everything that goes with it…cause a RECONSIDERATION?

We shall see…

But in the meantime, we wanted to let our readers know that The WMQB will be a little different next week for some SPRING CLEANING. What does that mean, exactly? We’d tell you, but we don’t really know yet. Check in on Monday – maybe you’ll see us? Maybe you won’t? Maybe we’ll put some GHOST WRITERS to the test?

OK – Make sure to tune in to The Line this Friday at 7:00 PM – KNME-TV Channel 5 – where myself, UNM Law Professor Margaret Montoya, and Show Host Gene Grant HIT THE TABLE with our PAL from the Duke City Fix, Sophie Martin – for topics ranging from David Iglesias and the New Mexico Special Session, to Bill Richardson and his STANDING in the Presidential contest…among other things.

And if you missed the show from last week – it’s below.

Cheers!

David Iglesias: Will the Democrats reward him for his actions or inactions before ALL IS SAID AND DONE?

And did Bill Richardson get a free walk from David Iglesias as well?

That’s one of the hot questions circulating around QB-ville these days…

Some are asking IT in regards to Iglesias’s public-but-not-through-proper-channels-and-only-after-he-couldn’t-find-a-job-where-loyalty-works-both-ways-as-long-as-he-benefits-from-it accusations of “politics in the work place”.

And of course his subsequent statements that Republicans in Congress failed to provide “oversight” for six years….

And others are asking IT about Iglesias’s decisions to IGNORE voter fraud prosecutions IN THE FIRST PLACE while serving as the US Attorney here in New Mexico.

Because as we’ve said before, there is no doubt that Democrats and their VERY ACTIVE third-party voter registration groups were under a WHOLE lot of pressure to deliver New Mexico – one of only a handful of swing states in 2004 – to John Kerry for President.

Investigations of voter fraud in New Mexico in 2004 – had they actually occurred – would HAD to have been focused primarily on the Democrat groups working to elect John Kerry.

It was those organizations which were noted on the registration forms. Their employees who were cited in the news… Their people who were said to be collecting absentee ballots from voters at the door…

(Remember, all you have to do is follow the money trail on the 527’s to know what their “game plan” is. We’re pretty sure that The Sierra Club was NOT trying to help President Bush in 2004. These were PARTISAN groups tasked with not only registering voters, but also with winning the election for John Kerry.)

Now…that’s the 527’s…but what about the 501 c 3’s?

Yes – we know – lots of numbers…

BUT – organizations qualifying for tax status as a 501 c 3 are prohibited from taking part in PARTISAN political activities.

They can, however, take part in the political process IF they aren’t partisan…or benefiting one candidate over another.

For example – in 2004, Governor Bill Richardson formed an organization called Moving America Forward, and it was classified as a 527- where he spent his money on helping candidates of his choice – in several different states.

Fine. Acceptable.

Anyone could pull up the contribution records for his 527 and know where the money was coming from.

BUT – in a stroke of political genius, Richardson also formed a 501 c 3 called Moving America Forward. And since 501 c 3’s don’t have to disclose their “donors” like a political 527 does, nobody had any idea who was footing the bill for this Richardson FOUNDATION.

Reporters tried to nail it down, but couldn’t…

Now…The publicly stated purpose of Moving America Forward (501 c 3) was to “register more minority voters – Hispanic and Native American”.

The “purpose” passed the smell test…it wasn’t “partisan”…

But does anybody remember a young man – a student from Las Cruces - coming forward late in the election cycle, saying he had been fired by Richardson’s so-called non-partisan foundation Moving America Forward – for registering too many Republicans?

He signed an affidavit, made the trip from Las Cruces to Albuquerque with his father, and was prepared to testify under oath.

There were several news stories about him…

Could firing someone for registering too many Republicans be considered partisan, and therefore a violation of the group’s 501 c 3 status?

WE’D LOVE TO KNOW IF DAVID IGLESIAS EVER LOOKED INTO THAT.

Seriously…

And like ACORN and ACT, MAF was ALSO submitting tons of new voter registration forms around the state.

But since Iglesias never said he looked into it…never gave Bill Richardson and his foundation a “clean bill of health” – we have to assume Iglesias did nothing…again.

And in case you don’t think Richardson was under the gun to GET ER DONE for John Kerry – check this out –




And again, we ask, will the Democrats reward Iglesias for his actions or inactions before ALL IS SAID AND DONE?

We’ll wait to see what happens on that front.

IN THE MEAN TIME – check out this email we received from one of our readers yesterday –

“Why don't you allow comments to be posted on your site? All the voter fraud cases that you stated shared the common thread of votes being cast or an attempt to be cast. The New Mexico case seems to be about people getting money for each person registered, but nothing about any attempt to cast votes…”

To which we say – we don’t do “comments” because it takes 24 hours a day to police the “appropriateness” of them…The last time we tried that we spent way too much time deleting sexual solicitations from a “man loving boys” group. Seriously. And we found that it was a too-easy format for people to post personal lies about politicians…

We do, and we hope you understand, have an UNSWERVING dedication to talking policy and not “privacy”.

And in regards to the other question, we can only say that IF David Iglesias had volunteered at the Albuquerque warehouse when hundreds of people stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, sorting through provisional ballots in the 2004 election, then he would have KNOWN – like many of us KNOW – that there were MANY cases of intentionally cast fraudulent ballots, including NUMEROUS dead people who somehow rose from the grave to vote for John Kerry.

The WMQB personally saw one ballot rejected because the person whose name had been voted was a Bill Richardson, who was dead…

Now that’s a little weird…

ANYWAY - Who can say how many fraudulently requested voter registration cards actually made it into the hands of non-qualified voters who then used them on election day, when 3000 “bad” forms were caught by the Bernalillo County Clerk?

What do YOU think the odds are?

But it would take an investigation to find out…

An investigation that never occurred.

DESPITE the fact that the Director of ACORN – one of the most active 527 groups in New Mexico – pled the 5th amendment in a court of law when he was asked what his organization did with the information it accumulated from those thousands and thousands of new voter registrations that passed through their hands before going to the clerk’s office.

So again…we ask…will David Iglesias be rewarded for doing nothing?

OK - we're not the only ones who have something to say today about David Iglesias. Pat Rogers, one of the local attorneys who met with the DOJ over Iglesias's inactivity has an op-ed in the Albuquerque Journal this morning where he states, among other things, "The chief federal law enforcement official for New Mexico must be tough enough to deal with murderers, possible terrorists and the occasional phone call that ends without a "good-bye."

And Scott Darnell, a former field director for the Republican Victory effort in 2004 and Campaign Manager for Vickie Perea for Secretary of State had this to say in the UNM Lobo this week.

And how about columnist Ruben Navarrette Jr.'s take on all of this? Check out what Mario Burgos has to say...


OK – back tomorrow…

David Iglesias tells Tim Russert he wants a written retraction for his “firing” -

But is that likely to happen given what OTHER US Attorneys have been doing about voter fraud?

Welcome back to the Wednesday Morning Quarterback – your source for the OTHER side of the story.

In case you missed ousted US Attorney David Iglesias on Meet the Press this weekend, you can catch it here.

Of greatest note TO US was Iglesias’s repeated support of a congressional investigation into the recent firing of 8 US Attorneys – language that sadly sounded like it was right out of Dem Senator Chuck Schumer’s playbook of talking points.

But by now, Iglesias’s call for a congressional investigation – and therefore a continuation of the HOT PRESS he’s getting these days, is not surprising.

Iglesias has now – on several occasions – made a public plea to have the DOJ or the White House – or someone – clear the air on why he was fired. He insists he wasn’t removed for “non-performace” reasons.

He also said he hasn’t found another job and doesn’t know what he’s going to do in the future. (Contrast that with his counterpart on Meet the Press, McKay, who had options and jobs already secured in Seattle).

Part of the problem, as we’ve discussed before, might be that Iglesias doesn’t have a reputation for great work among his peers, regardless of how the beltway folks at the DOJ ranked and rated him.

But whatever…

Last week, we posted just a couple of those news stories that filled up local NM TV coverage during the 2004 election cycle – example after example of voter fraud run rampant.

BUT - Iglesias now says there wasn’t enough evidence or enough interest from his superiors to make him DO anything with the stuff.

Despite the fact that Iglesias knew the name of the voter registration group(s) responsible for submitting fraudulent forms, knew that one Director had taken the fifth amendment while under oath, and in some cases, had the names of the fraudulent “registers” themselves,

We are now told, it just wasn’t enough.

Hundreds of thousands of forms…

SO after DOING A BIT OF RESEARCH – we found out that while Iglesias made the conscious decision to disregard and ignore the MOUNTAIN of voter fraud evidence sent to his NM office and reported about in the local news – his counterparts were GETTIN ER DONE elsewhere.

Between 2002 – 2005

In Alaska – a Mexican citizen was charged with three counts of voter fraud after having registered himself to vote in the United States and voted in the 2000, 2002, and 2004 elections.

In Colorado – A non-US citizen was convicted of placing FALSE citizenship information on his voter registration form.

In Northern Florida – A non-US Citizen was indicted and convicted for using a false social security number in order to fraudulently complete a voter registration form. Another man was charged with voting as a non-citizen in 2005.

In Southern Florida – A former candidate for the Florida legislature was tried and found guilty in a court of law for lying about his immigration status concerning his voting history. And later, fifteen non-citizens were charged with voting in various elections around the state – four of whom were also charged with making false citizenship claims. Ten were convicted.

In Southern Illinois – an election official was indicted and convicted on charges of submitting fraudulent ballots in the 2002 general election, and in a 2004 vote-buying scheme, nine Democratic precinct committeemen were convicted on conspiracy and vote buying charges.

In Kansas – one person was indicted and convicted for voting simultaneously in elections in Kansas and Missouri.

In Eastern Kentucky – 10 people were indicted, and 7 people convicted in 2003 for vote buying. And in a particular case of vote buying for a local judge, 10 people were indicted and 5 people convicted in 2003. And in 2005, another 3 persons were indicted for vote buying and mail fraud in connection with the 2000 elections.

In Louisiana – one person was convicted for lying to a grand jury about his involvement in fabricating eleven voter registration applications, and a City Councilwoman was indicted and convicted of submitting false voter registration information in 2003.

In Missouri – 4 people were charged, and 3 convicted, of voting ballots in more than one county.

In New Hampshire – two high-profile Republicans were convicted of harassment stemming from a phone calling scheme during the 2002 general election.

And that’s just SOME of what’s out there.

“Everyone knows that proving voter fraud can be difficult, but others have been able to do much more, with much less evidence, than Iglesias did in New Mexico in 2004,” said one of our analysts over the weekend.

But if fraud was such a highly reported problem here in New Mexico, how come the DOJ was soft on prosecuting it, as Iglesias claims?

“Two reasons,” weighed in one of our QB’s who was involved with the 2004 elections. “One - It’s hard for people outside of the state to understand what a huge problem we had here in New Mexico because until that point, we required absolutely no ID for registering, or for voting. Virginia requires ID. Most states require something. Other elections are more secure. The “bureaucracy” didn’t have to watch the news, and they didn’t see the piles of evidence get swept under the rug by first one Democratic official, and then another. Two – The US Attorney ought to be the last resort for prosecuting election fraud, but in New Mexico, the Secretary of State’s office and the Attorney General’s office, have long been held by the Democratic Party – who during 2004 had their Chairman deny again and again that voter fraud existed, and who fought aggressively against an ID requirement, even though nearly every newspaper in the state editorialized on behalf of it, and every poll showed that over 75% of New Mexicans wanted the requirement to protect our elections. New Mexico still has special challenges – that’s why it was so important for Iglesias to provide some leadership and a no-tolerance policy, and why it was so baffling when he didn’t.”

For our New Mexican readers – does everybody remember the fallout at the legislature from the 2004 elections? There were probably 30 different bills introduced requiring a Voter ID – it was just like the media-driven craze in legislature 2007 to pass “ethics reform”.

The issue of fair elections was HUGE for New Mexicans in 2005, even IF the Department of Justice, cared not. And even if our US Attorney, cared not.

OK –

As you all know, former UNM Men’s basketball coach Ritchie McKay saw his replacement crowned this weekend – and with anticipation for BETTER THINGS, most of us smiled.

Because even though we all know why McKay was removed from his position, we didn’t need to talk about that this weekend. All we wanted to talk about was moving forward and winning games.

And to Mr. McKay, we’re going to offer a goodbye WAVE to you – and let you know that we think your professionalism and grace during your final days as head coach – even when you were under fire – were commendable. The manner of your leaving has left the University of New Mexico a better place, and it is appreciated.

Which got us thinking…seriously…

There are a few comparison’s here…

FOR EXAMPLE – we ran a couple of these passed our QB’s this weekend –

What do YOU think Ritchie McKay and David Iglesias have in common?

Answer – Neither will be practicing law in New Mexico in the near future.

OK – what makes them different?

Answer – one recognizes that scoring one point in 22 is good, and the other doesn’t.

So to Mr. McKay – we say that your maturity and class, your acceptance of what it means to serve in an at-will position, your professional exit even though you were left without a job and a paycheck – shows you stand a little bit taller than some OTHERS in New Mexico.

OK - we still have a bunch of stuff to get to. We'll see you back here tomorrow.

Just one reason why we're so HACKED OFF about David Iglesias

From the 2004 New Mexico election...





And another?

In this morning's edition of the New York Times, David Iglesias wrote in an op-ed that -

"...much has been made of my decision to not prosecute alleged voter fraud in New Mexico...What the critics, who don’t have any experience as prosecutors, have asserted is reprehensible — namely that I should have proceeded without having proof beyond a reasonable doubt."

Which reminded us of THIS ALSO from 2004 -



Did ACORN LEADER Matt Henderson say in that interview that his organization didn't pay their workers on a per signature basis?

MY HOW THE MEMORY GETS JOGGED - this was just one of those LIES from 2004, because the Albuquerque Tribune reported that "ACORN uses paid canvassers who earn $8 an hour and get a $50 bonus if they turn in more than 24 cards in a day, crew leader Seanna Silver said." (Judge orders voters be id's - August 27, 2004 Albuquerque Tribune)

Hey, you know what? Maybe if Iglesias's task force had EVER issued a report, some of US would have faith that he actually looked into this stuff...