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Saturday, May 10, 2008

N.M. Republican Party Honors Retiring Domenici

By Heather Clark
Associated Press
      Former New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato called his best friend in the Senate a "quiet, effective, caring (and) hardworking'' man at a state Republican Party tribute to Sen. Pete Domenici.
    Domenici, 76, who is retiring in January after more than 13,000 votes and 35 years in office, spoke to about 350 party members who gathered here Friday night to honor him and raise money for Republican candidates.
    New Mexico's longest-serving senator announced his retirement in October, saying he was leaving office because of an incurable brain disorder known as frontotemporal lobar degeneration.
    "What a great life it has been,'' Domenici told the guests. "I will be, in a sense, hoping that I don't get too sick. Right now, I want to report to you that I'm feeling pretty good. What I'm supposed to get from the illness I have, I don't think it's happening yet.''
    Domenici said in an interview before the dinner that he has joined a research group to help doctors find out more about his disease.
    D'Amato said there are a lot of Washington politicians who beat their chests and tell everyone of their accomplishments.
    "That was not your senator, a quiet, effective, caring, hardworking, happy, thoughtful man who worked and got the job done,'' he said.
    D'Amato praised Domenici for balancing two federal budgets as chairman of the Senate Budget Committee for 12 years, for his work on reducing the nation's dependence of foreign oil and for promoting New Mexico's national laboratories in Congress.
    Behind the scenes, D'Amato and Domenici joked like two school boys, laughing and teasing each other about a copy of a speech D'Amato acknowledged he stole from an open notebook on Domenici's desk in the Senate.
    D'Amato also proudly shared photos of his infant son, Alfonso Marcello D'Amato, Jr., who was born on Super Tuesday.
    Before the dinner, Domenici attended a private reception and posed for photos with his supporters.
    The tribute was attended by many Republican politicians, including Rep. Heather Wilson, who shared a hug with Domenici, who helped her in her first race for Congress and mentored her once she arrived in Washington. Her opponent, Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., did not attend the event.
    Guests saw a video of Domenici's life in public service set to the music of "Still the One'' by Orleans. Photos depicted the senator with Presidents Reagan, George Bush Sr. and George W. Bush, Sens. Bob Dole, Ted Kennedy and Jeff Bingaman and a Pope.
    During his speech, Domenici recognized 82-year-old Fran Langholf, a GOP party volunteer who "started it all,'' he said, by talking someone into giving him a free real estate office.
    Langholf said she has known Domenici since 1965 and was "heartsick'' when she heard of his illness.
    Like many at the event, Langholf talked of what a "down-to-earth'' person Domenici is.
    "He never let being a senator go to his head,'' she said. "He was just Pete.''

Copyright ©2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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