In Case There Was Ever Any Doubt ...

Gov. Susana Martinez is indeed supporting Heather Wilson for Senate.

The Wilson campaign posted this video earlier this week.



I wrote about this topic not long ago.

Roundhouse Roundup: Just Say "Moe"

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
Feb. 12 2012

Rep. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, D-Albuquerque, was on a roll last week during the House Consumer & Public Affairs debate on several bills that would have required voters to present photo identification at the polls.

He quickly earned the "Quote of the Day" on this paper's legislative page when he invoked a metaphor for the specter of voter fraud in the state, which he and others say doesn't exist.

"If my constituents want me to introduce a bill to outlaw the Boogeyman, I could either introduce a bill outlawing the Boogeyman, or I could gently explain to them that there's not a Boogeyman."

But he also made another funny at the same hearing.

In talking about how impractical and expensive it would be for a crooked candidate to organize people to steal the identity of others and vote in numbers big enough to defeat an opponent, Maestas said the money would be more effectively spent "doing a mailer and lying about your opponent."

All three bills were tabled, thus effectively killed, by the committee. It wasn't due to Maestas' wit, however. It was the same party-line vote that defeats these bills every year they arise.

Goose step misstep: The next day, Maestas also was on fire during the debate on repealing the law that allows the state to issue driver's licenses to undocumented people. He made a reasonable argument that allowing illegal immigrants to have licenses actually helps law enforcement. Santa Fe Police Chief Ray Rael has been making the same argument in legislative committees this year.

He brought up the infamous 2009 Denny's murder in Albuquerque in which members of a Central American gang went into a restaurant to rob it and killed a teenage cook in the process. At least two of the robbers had state driver's licenses. Opponents of the law used the killing as an example of how the law is dangerous. Maestas argued that the licenses helped police track down the killers.

But then Maestas stepped in it. Or maybe I should say goose stepped in it.

"If you tell a lie ... people will start saying it, then they will start to believe it," he said. Then he compared it to "The Big Lie" of the "propaganda ministers of Nazi Germany."

Oh no, Moe!

I believe it was the great political philosopher Jon Stewart who once declared that anyone who compares his opponents to the Nazis automatically loses the argument.

If you don't like this column, you're a Nazi

Stewart did a great routine last year on The Daily Show, spotlighting Tennessee Congressman Steve Cohen for equating opponents of President Barack Obama's health care program with the Nazis' "Big Lie" about Jews. (Actually, Adolph Hitler accused Jews of using "The Big Lie" in Mein Kampf, but let's not quibble.) Cohen's speech came just days after he made a speech calling for civility and an end to hyperbolic name-calling.

Shortly thereafter, Stewart skewered Fox News for various hosts getting upset about Democrat Cohen's Nazi talk, one of whom self-righteously declared that her network never would do such a terrible thing. Stewart played a montage of a dozen or so examples of Fox News talking heads comparing others with Hitler and other assorted National Socialists.

Fortunately, Nazi accusations are infrequent in New Mexico politics. Let's hope it stays that way.

For (re)Pete's sake!: Sen. Phil Griego, D-San José, told people waiting to testify at a recent Corporations and Transportation meeting on Sen. Peter Wirth's bill on corporate income tax that he wouldn't allow any repetition from people testifying.

And I agreed with him. Anyone who has ever attended legislative hearings knows that some speakers often make the same points the last dozen or so speakers just made.

Only trouble is, Griego must have said he wouldn't allow any repetitiveness at least five times, both before the meeting and during.

Here are those Jon Stewart segments:

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Roundhouse Roundup: The Return of the Bull Moose

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican 
Feb. 5, 2012

Baby boomers may recall an old TV Western called Branded starring Chuck Connors. In the opening segment, Jason McCord, played by Connors, is at an Old West military outpost being marched before a commanding officer. 

As McCord stands straight, square-jawed and silent, the much-shorter commanding officer violently yanks the hat off McCord's head, rips the epaulets off his shoulders and the buttons from his shirt, then finally takes McCord's sword and breaks it over his knee. McCord walks out of the fort as soldiers close the gates behind him. 

Former Sen. Shannon Robinson

"That's what the progressives did to me," former state Sen. Shannon Robinson told me in an interview last week, describing the opening of Branded. 

Nobody actually broke Robinson's sword or ripped his buttons. But in June 2008, Robinson, who had represented his southeastern Albuquerque district for 20 years, lost a bitterly fought Democratic primary to a political newcomer, Tim Keller. 

Robinson blamed his loss partly on a full-color mailer produced and distributed by the Center for Civic Policy and other progressive groups that attacked Robinson's ethics. Two other Democratic legislators who were the subjects of similar mailers also lost their primaries that year. 

So, as the theme song went, "What do you do when you're branded and you know you're a man?" 

In Robinson's case, you switch parties and run for your old seat. Late last year, Robinson changed his registration from Democrat to Republican. The person who handled the registration was none other than former state GOP Chairman Harvey Yates. 

When I asked if he was running against Keller, Robinson said, "That's the plan." Asked if he was going to have a formal announcement, he said, "I thought that's what this was." 

Robinson, a lawyer with a flair for the dramatic, perhaps was best known for his fiery floor speeches in the Senate. He usually was passionate, sometimes bombastic and never dull. 

He said one reason he's running is because of an increase in crime in District 17, which includes the area south of Central Avenue now called The International Zone, though some have less cheerfully referred to the area as "The War Zone." 

He said the laundry where he takes his dry cleaning has been the target of three armed robberies in recent years. "The last time someone held a gun at the lady's head," Robinson said. 

"There are serious security problems that aren't being dealt with," he said. "We have to rebuild property values there. There's a lot that needs to be done." 

Robinson sometimes used to refer to himself politically as a Bull Moose, after Teddy Roosevelt's old third party. Bull Mooses, he said in a 2002 speech on the Senate floor, are united by issues related to tobacco, alcohol and outdoor sports such as shooting and boating. "Trucks and guns ... and cows. Anything having to do with cows." 

The fact that he was a driving force in passing the state law permitting the carrying of concealed handguns should make him popular with Republicans. But some in the GOP might have to overlook some things about Robinson, such as the fact that for a while, he frequently criticized the Iraq War on the Senate floor. And he was behind a peace conference that was held in Santa Fe a few years ago. ("Some of us are for that sort of thing," a prominent Republican activist told me last week when I mentioned the subject.) 

Robinson told me he missed being in the Legislature. "I always considered it an honor to serve, and I tried to conduct myself in a way to reflect that honor," he said. 

I'm not in the business of choosing sides. I like Keller, too. But the Robinson/Keller rematch should be fun to watch.

(Here's what Robinson said the progressives did to him in 2008)

Legislative Committee Process Explained

Thanks to KNME's In Focus, specifically Matt Grubbs for pointing this out.

 

 Speaking of Grubbs, he also called my attention to this video he found when recently Googling "Terrell" and "Roundhouse:


"

While I Was Covering the Redistricting Trial, This Happened

Some folks associated with Occupy Santa Fe showed up at a meeting of the Environmental Improvement Board Monday. I don't think they were on the agenda.

(I don't know whether this was an official action of OSF or just individuals. But toward the end of their presentation, they said "We are Occupy Santa Fe. We are unstoppable. "

Perry's Debate Flub Brings Back Memories

Texas  Gov. Rick Perry's disastrous flub in last night's Republican debate on CNBC -- in which he couldn't remember the third of three cabinet departments he said he'd eliminate -- stirred some memories of debates in the past. First here's Perry's big moment.



The first thing I thought of was the infamous 2006 debate debate between two New Mexico Congressional candidates, Republican Heather Wilson and Democrat Patricia Madrid. Madrid's painful hesitancy in answering a question from Wilson about tax increases is painful to watch. The Wilson campaign campaign got a devastating attack ad out of this moment. Some believe this was the deciding factor in that extremely close race.



However, when I was watching the debate at home, I thought the question shown in the below video was a far worse mistake on Madrid's part.



Below are a couple of examples from presidential debates. I like the first one especially because it features Michael Dukakis himself owning up to the fact that he blew it with with his dispassionate answer to the infamous hypothetical question about whether he'd want the death penalty if someone raped and killed his wife.




And the mother of all debate gaffes ...



UPDATE: 1:58 pm A co-worker just reminded me of this one from last year.

National Dems Advertising in NM

The Democratic National Committee is targeting New Mexico as well as two other swing states, Ohio and North Carolina, with a new ad supporting President Obama's jobs plan. This is right before an expected Senate vote on part of Obama's plan that relates to hiring veterans.

It's a fairly low-key ad, focusing on an unemployed Iraq war vet. The only "finger-pointing" is the part that says " ...it's paid for by asking millionaires and corporations to pay their fair share. But Republicans have said no."

It looks like the Dems are playing to sports fans. Besides CNN, the ad will be running on ESPN and the NFL  Network.

This is the second ad the DNC has run in this state this year -- and the first one in English.

Here's the ad:

Monday, Monday

Happy Monday to ya. Ready to start the work week.

In case you missed my story in yesterday's New Mexican about the money race in the Public Regulation Commission race, you can find that HERE. Actually there's not much of a race. All but one of the small army of Democratic candidates say they will or probably will use public financing, which means, assuming they qualify, they each will be receiving checks for $39,000 and change.

The only one who has said he won't use public financing is Danny Maki, who apparently is using his dad Butch Maki's contacts to build a good-size campaign war chest. And because of a U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down part of Arizona's public financing law, if Maki (or any other candidate not using public financing) gets contributions beyond that $39,000, chances are the other candidates won't be getting marching funds from the state.

However, the fact that some Washington, D.C. telecommunications lobbyists among Maki's biggest contributors could become a sore point in the campaign, as the PRC is responsible for regulating the telecommunications industry.

Meanwhile let's start off this week with a little music. Here's Republican front-runner Herman Cain. He's said that if he's elected he'd like to jazz up the stodgy old "Hail to the Chief." I'm certainly against that. Unless he replaces it with this:




(Thanks to The Daily Beast)

Johnson at GOP Debate

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
September 23, 2011

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson finally got invited to a Republican presidential debate in which all the major candidates participated. But he still wasn’t a major factor in the two-hour, nationally televised event in Orlando, Fla.

Johnson was the last of the nine GOP contenders to get a question from the Fox News moderators. That came 19 minutes into the debate. The next time Johnson was called upon was nearly 20 minutes later. After that the former governor had to wait more than a half hour to get another crack at a question.

But Johnson did get one of the evening’s biggest laugh lines. Talking about the economy, Johnson said, “My next door neighbor’s two dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than this administration.”

Dave Weigel, a blogger for Slate quipped on Twitter, “Gary Johnson just got himself into some of the debate highlight reels. Mission accomplished.”

Weigel later reported that Johnson in a post-debate interview said he was unaware that conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh had made a similar joke earlier that day.

That wasn’t Johnson’s only positive reaction from the Orlando audience. He got boisterous applause when, asked about education policy, he said he’d abolish the federal Department of Education.

But nobody can accuse Johnson of pandering to the crowd. Johnson endured scattered boos from the Florida Republicans when he said trade with Cuba and chartered flights to Cuba are good ideas. “I think trade promotes friendship,” he said.

One of his rivals, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, quickly jumped in, saying Cuba is a “state sponsor of terrorism,” so there should be no trade with or flights to the communist nation 90 miles from Florida’s shores.

Asked which of the other GOP candidates he’d pick as a running mate, Johnson named Texas congressman and fellow libertarian Ron Paul. But Paul didn’t return the favor when asked the same question. He said he wouldn’t even think about a running mate until he got to be one of the top two candidates.

Johnson used other parts of his brief time in the spotlight to emphasize his promise to balance the budget in his first year as president and to overhaul the federal tax system and replace it with a “fair tax” or “consumption tax.”

He brought up his hundreds of vetoes during two terms as governor (1995 to 2002.) “I think I’ve vetoed more bills than any governor in the United States,” he said, “more than all governors combined.”

Political scientist Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics tweeted in response, “Fact checkers going nuts trying to verify Gary Johnson’s veto claim.” Sabato later gave Johnson a grade of C-plus for his debate performance.

That wasn’t Johnson’s most unflattering mention on Twitter. In fact, some national establishment commentators were downright cold.

“Gary Johnson has not gotten better at public speaking in the past few months,” tweeted Rachel Weiner of The Washington Post blog The Fix.

“Did Gov. Johnson’s advisors tell him to do MORE thumb twitching than his last debate?” said Miles Kahn, a writer for the Comedy Channel’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

“Gary Johnson reminds me of the [Saturday Night Live] version of Al Gore,” wrote Aaron Blake of The Fix.

Thursday’s debate was co-sponsored by Fox News and Google. The next scheduled debate, at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, is scheduled for Oct. 11. It’s not clear whether Johnson will be participating.

UPDATE: 11:05 p.m. The Huffington Post has revealed that Johnson's dog joke was provided to him by KOB radio host Jim Villanucci.

HuffPost’s Sara Kenigsberg spoke to Johnson about the joke shortly after the GOP debate ended. Johnson told her that Jim Villanucci, a former "Tonight Show" writer and current radio host on Albuquerque’s KKOB station, sent him several jokes late Thursday afternoon. "He texted me about eight one-liners that maybe I could use so it was one of those things that, 'wow, that was really funny," Johnson said. He didn't know about Limbaugh telling the joke earlier today.

Here's Johnson's big moment Thursday night:

Preparing for the Special Session?

This is Gov. Susana Martinez requalifying for her concealed carry license.

According to McClesky Media, which posted this on YouTube, the governor got 100 percent scores with both .45 and .38 caliber handguns.

On her Facebook, Martinez wrote, "Chuck will never admit it, but I'm the better shot."

(Yes, I'm back to work.)

An Oldie But Goodie From Jim Terr

Songwriter/parodist Jim Terr did this video back in 2008. There might be enough new material for a sequel.

Udall Sponsors Bill to Crack Down on Smuggling in Aircraft

From a news release:

This week Sen. Tom Udall introduced bi-partisan legislation that would improve border security by cracking down on smugglers who use ultralight aircraft to bring drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border.


The legislation would give law enforcement agencies additional tools to combat this type of drug trafficking by closing a loophole in current law that allows smugglers who use ULAs to receive a lesser penalty than those who use airplanes or cars.

A news release is HERE

A musical response from opponents:



(For those unfamiliar, that's Peter Rowan singing.)

Roundhouse Roundup: My First Political Rally

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
July 28, 2011

I recently digitized a whole box of 8mm home movies, mostly from the 1950s and a few from the early ’60s.

There in living color were herky-jerky moving images of my brother, my sister and me as babies and toddlers; both of my parents when they were in their 20s; and my late grandparents when they were younger than I am now.

There are soundless clips of Christmases, birthdays, trips to Yellowstone National Park and San Diego and glimpses of everyday life in the Terrell family. I hadn’t watched any of these in well over 30 years.

No, I’m not going to bore you with all my home movies. Just one reel. In that box of forgotten memories is footage of my very first political rally. And even though we didn’t live in Santa Fe back then, it took place here on the Plaza.

Kefauver, left, Stevenson, right, in Santa Fe

The date was Aug. 27, 1956. Former Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic candidate for President, and his running mate, Sen. Estes Kefauver, D-Tenn., opened their national campaign here in Santa Fe. I was less than a month shy of 3 years old. My family was there in the crowd, which was estimated to be 8,000, according to that day’s The New Mexican. Like good 1950s tourists, we brought the family movie camera.

The reel begins with me apprehensively approaching a donkey — it’s a Democratic Party rally, remember — decked out in a homemade “Adlai-Estes” banner. The man holding the reins gently takes my hand and lets me pet the donkey.

All the way with LBJ in Santa Fe

Cut to my brother, then 11 months old, and then all of a sudden there’s a 1950s state police car cruising down Palace Avenue in front of the Palace of the Governors.

It’s a political motorcade, convertibles stuffed with waving politicians. In the back seat of the first car behind the police is a man holding a white cowboy hat. This would be future President Lyndon B. Johnson, who at the time was Senate majority leader. (I had to pause the video several times to be sure.) A couple of cars behind was a yellow Cadillac convertible carrying Stevenson and Kefauver.

What were they doing in Santa Fe?: Checking 1956 microfilm of The New Mexican, I learned that these were just a few of the Democratic bigwigs in town that day. House Speaker Sam Rayburn was there as were various senators and governors from around the country. Santa Fe Mayor Leo Murphy was on hand as were Gov. John Simms, Lt. Gov. Joe Montoya and Sen. Clinton P. Anderson.

After the rally there was a regional Democratic conference for the campaign at La Fonda “to discuss New Mexico’s problems and the problems of other Southwestern states,” the newspaper said. It was the first of several such events around the country.

Among those participating in the conference was Robert McKinney, identified in the article as chairman of the Citizens Panel on the Impact of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy. He also was publisher of The New Mexican.

A few weeks later on a return campaign trip to New Mexico, Kefauver would stay at McKinney’s home in Nambé.

Ultimately, Stevenson lost New Mexico and the election to incumbent Dwight Eisenhower later that year.

Back to the video: The quality of the film gets iffy for the remaining few seconds of the rally on the reel. But you can see the crowd gathered around the bandstand, a mariachi strumming a guitarrón Méxicano, somebody speaking at a podium, someone crossing the stage, flags waving in the breeze.

In other words, it doesn’t look that much different from the other political rallies I’ve seen on the Plaza.

Yes, political rallies can be tedious and, Lord knows, predictable. But as a political reporter, I have a strange fondness for them. Maybe there’s some flickering subconscious memory of hearing happy mariachi music and petting a donkey that keeps me going back.

Crossroads GPS: Obama Will Crush a Little Girl with a Big Crate

Karl Rove isn't coming to New Mexico until next month, but his Super PAC, Crossroads GPS, is already here. They're running another ad on New Mexico television stations. (Last month they ran this ad in New Mexico and elsewhere.)

According to their news release: "In New Mexico, the ad will run on TV stations in the Albuquerque and El Paso markets, with buys totaling $101,305. The total dedicated to the effort nationally, including national cable, local TV, Internet advertising and production is $3.5 million over two weeks. ... The new spot is part of a $20 million advocacy campaign begun by Crossroads GPS in June to frame the national issues debate on the economy and national debt, as Congress negotiates a deal with President Obama."

I've been hearing a lot of Republicans lately criticizing Obama's "fear tactics" in the debt-ceiling debate. But this looks pretty scary too.

White Resigns from Judicial Standards Too

Several hours before Albuquerque Public Safety Director Darren White announced his retirement in the face of controversy,  I asked Gov. Susana Martinez about White's future on the state Judicial Standards Commission, to which Martinez had appointed him earlier this year.

This was right after the governor's speech to the state Bar Association this morning. She told me that anyone who has “done wrong” shouldn’t be allowed to serve on state boards and commissions. But she added that she’d reserve judgment on the actions of White until an independent investigation into the accident was completed.

“’I’m just going to step back and let the process work,” Martinez told a reporter following the governor’s speech at the annual meeting of the State Bar of New Mexico at the Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Pojoaque on Friday morning.

Shortly after White's announcement, Martinez spokesman Scott Darnell confirmed that White had resigned from Judicial Standards.

Billy, They Don't Like You to Be So Free

Susana Martinez has become the second governor in a row to exploit New Mexico's most famous gunslinger, Billy the Kid.

On behalf of the state Tourism Department, Martinez is touting a new contest -- a contest with a $10,000 prize.

“Others may have considered pardoning Billy the Kid,” the governor said in a news release, referring to her predecessor, who got the state, and himself, untold tons of publicity with his consideration of a Kid pardon. Richardson masterfully milked that until his very last day in office.

“But, we’re not letting (Billy the Kid) off the hook," Martinez said. "This effort should provide New Mexicans and others with not only a chance to interact with one of our state’s most infamous historical characters, but a wonderful opportunity to enjoy all of the diverse and exciting wonders that exist in every corner of New Mexico.”

The Tourism Department has created a website where those wanting to compete can create a profile. There will be locations aroundthe state that will have clues that lead to Billy’s New Mexico "hideout." (Most historians think he's been "hiding out" in a grave at Ft. Sumner for the past 131 years, but I don't want to spoil the fun.)

"The more clues that are collected, the more information will become available as to where, when, and how the Kid can be captured," the news release says. "People can download the `Catch the Kid' smartphone application to play along, or they can play by taking pictures next to clue posters in each location throughout the state and uploading them to their profile page. The first posse to present the Kid with an arrest warrant will win a $10,000 reward."

So there you have it.

But the best thing about Billy the Kid popping up in government stories is that it gives me an excuse to post good music on this blog. Enjoy some Zimmerman:

Happy Independence Day Weekend

I'm off work today and won't be back until next Wednesday.

I probably won't be blogging much here until then. But in the meantime, here's what Politico says about the New Mexico Senate race, which it ranks as number 7 in the Top 10 competitive races:

7. NEW MEXICO (Up 1 spot) — New Mexico leapfrogs Ohio after a Public Policy Polling survey showed both former Rep. Heather Wilson and Lt. Gov. John Sanchez within single digits of their potential Democratic opponents. Rep. Martin Heinrich and state auditor Hector Balderas showed comparable strength, presenting a difficult decision for a party eager to place more Hispanic faces at the top of the ticket. A subtle signal of the importance of Latinos: After indicating it was on the verge of backing Heinrich, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said it will remain neutral. On the margins, neutrality is a win for Balderas. So far, he and Heinrich have been playing nice, while Wilson and Sanchez duke it out over who is a more genuine conservative.

Who won June: Balderas

Of course, it doesn't mention the PPP results released yesterday showing Heinrich beating Balderas among Democrats by a 2 to 1 mmargin.

Oh well, have a safe holiday. And as I posted on my music blog, make sure any fireworks you shoot in New Mexico this year are this kind:

New Mexico Swings

The battle for New Mexico's 5 electoral votes is on. A conservative "advocacy organization" called Crossroads GPS is going to start running anti-Obama ads on TV next week.

Crossroads is a spin-off of the group fronted by Karl Rove and former Republican National Committee  chairman Ed Gillespie.

The basic message: It's the economy, stupid.

Who's paying for the group and its ads? That's none of your damned business. At least that's what the U.S. Supreme Court says. Why do you hate "Freedom of Speech"?

Here's a video of the ad:

NM Still Likes Gary Johnson

Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball lists former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson among the Republican presidential candidates who haven't "broken out." (Rick Santorum and Buddy Roemer also are in that category, Sabato says.)

And he's right. Johnson's poll rankings have been so low that CNN didn't invite him to next week's debate in New Hampshire -- even though Johnson correctly has pointed out that in 1991 a guy named Bill Clinton was polling about the same with Democrats.

But here's some consolation for Johnson. According to a new PPP survey, Johnson is the only GOP candidate with favorable polling in his or her home state.

According to PPP, 44 percent of New Mexicans interviewed have a favorable opinion of Johnson while 32 percent have an unfavorable opinion. That's a 12 percent positive rating. His closest competitor is Newt Gingrich who has an 8 percent negative rating from Georgia voters. The lowest home-state ranking is Michele Bachmann who has a 26 percent negative rating in Minnesota.

Johnson's numbers seem to be based on a poll done in February by PPP, the most recent time they've polled here.

PPP is a Democratic firm, but their results usually are close to those of non-partisan pollsters.

Here's Johnson's video in response to CNN's refusal to include him in the debate, emotional music and all.

Gov. Choses Her Two Members of Judicial Nominating Committee

Gov. Susana Martinez has selected former acting U.S. Attorney Greg Fouratt and former state Rep. Justine Fox-Young as her selections to the committee that will nominate possible replacements for Court of Appeals Judge Richard Robles, who resigned after being arrested on a drunk driving charge.

Under the law, the governor gets to choose a lawyer and a non-lawyer t be on the committee. Other members can be found HERE. The panel is scheduled to meet June 29.


Fouratt served as acting U.S. Attorney for the state after David Iglesias was fired by the Bush administration. Martinez's news release notes that he prosecuted the Manny Aragon case that ended with Aragon serving a sentence in federal prison for his role in the Bernalillo County Courthouse kickback scandal.

Fouratt also headed the office during the grand jury investigation of the Richardson's administration's CDR scandal in which a Beverly Hills company made some $1.5 million for handling state transportation bonds following big contributions to Bill Ricahrdson PACs.

When the Justice Department decided not to indict anyone over the alleged pay-to-play bill, Fouratt sent a letter to attorneys involved saying the decision not to prosecute was no vindication because the investigation "revealed that pressure from the Governor's Office resulted in the corruption of the procurement process."

Fox-Young represented an Albuquerque district for two terms until her surprise defeat in 2008. She was the youngest woman ever elected to the Legislature.

She's Martinez's "non-lawyer" appointment to the committee, but she probably won't be a non-lawyer for long. Since leaving the hallowed halls of the Legislature, she's  been studying at the Chicago School of Law.

And Fox-Young will be the only committee member with her own theme song.