A Few Good U.S. Attorneys Doesn't Include Iglesias
By John Dendahl
Former GOP State Chairman
Through the sponsorship of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., David Iglesias got the important job of U.S. Attorney— a political appointment, by the way, to a position serving at the pleasure of the president. The senator prevailed over a barrage of arguments voicing doubts as to Iglesias' limited experience and unproven competence.
I'm pretty sure Domenici must regret that as a serious mistake, made with the best of intent.
Iglesias has now been fired because his performance vindicated the doubts as to experience and competence. But his days are hardly empty. Iglesias is the telegenic darling of the left, which has turned the firing into a political cause célébre. Domenici is prominent among those being flayed.
I am reminded of Justice Clarence Thomas' 1991 Senate confirmation proceeding, in which Anita Hill starred for the left. In fact, I began a recent radio interview about Iglesias with the line, "If you liked Anita Hill, you'll love David Iglesias." In each case, one or more dedicated, high-quality public servants were savaged by a person of, at most, pedestrian capability.
Clinton Department of Justice veterans, who know a great deal from personal experience about politics and U.S. attorneys, are laughing up their sleeves at Bush administration discomfiture over firing a few. One should keep history in mind while thinking about hypocrisy and today's Democrat leadership of Congress.
In March 2006, my cell phone interrupted a fine skiing run. When I got my helmet off, retrieved the phone from a zippered pocket and answered, the caller was Sen. Domenici. He was fit-to-be-tied over the absence of effective responses to serious and growing government corruption infecting our state. The State Treasurer's Office, rumored kickbacks on Albuquerque courthouse construction, voter fraud and executive branch pay-to-play were all on his mind. I shared his anguish but, sad to say, had no terrific suggestions.
Recalling this event in context with the senator's decades of service to New Mexico, I am persuaded of the deep concern he expressed in a context having nothing— zero— to do with partisan advantage. (I wasn't then dreaming of being a candidate for office, and I hadn't been a political party official for nearly three years.)
That Domenici would at any time call Iglesias to inquire into what he might be doing about this corruption seemed unsurprising and fully consistent with his fine record representing and serving New Mexicans.
Look at it this way: it is now crystal clear that Domenici and others weren't hallucinating about corruption in New Mexico. Conversations about it "on the street," including names of people now standing indicted or having pleaded guilty— and of those who should do something but weren't, began ramping up steeply at least 18 months ago. In hindsight, the legitimate cause for criticizing Domenici, if any, is for failing to make a wake-up call to Iglesias sooner than he did.
In 1998, I was chairman of the Republican Party of New Mexico. Iglesias was our candidate for state Attorney General. We thought him a fine candidate who would be only New Mexico's second Republican AG in something like 70 years. He lost a close election to Patricia Madrid, who later developed pay-to-play into an art form, sat on her hands vis-a-vis two state treasurers' criminal activity, and defended in court a secretary of state's actions easing commitment of voter fraud by flouting a federal law.
Political campaigns being what they are, we were pleased to tout Iglesias' story that he was the dauntless Navy court-martial prosecutor portrayed by Tom Cruise in the movie "A Few Good Men." Now I find sources, including Wikipedia, revealing the Tom Cruise character to be another Navy lawyer, Don Marcari, currently in private practice in Virginia. But the Cruise-plays-Iglesias myth lives on, adding gloss to the voluminous 2007 press Iglesias has attracted to obscure his justified firing.
Iglesias' résumé needs corroboration. Pending that, I'm reminded of Bill Richardson's claim of having been drafted to play major league baseball, debunked— but only after about 40 years.
It often takes the truth too long to catch up with a well-told lie.
John Dendahl wrote a column that appeared in the Journal and other New Mexico newspapers until Republicans tapped him to run against sitting Gov. Bill Richardson in 2006.
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