BUT HE TOLD ME HE WAS "COMPLETELY INNOCENT"

Manny Aragon, former state Senate president pro-tem and Majority Leader, pleaded guilty this morning to three federal felony counts of conspiracy and mail fraud in the Metropolitan Courthouse scandal.

According to his plea agreement, he'll serve 5 and a half years in federal prison.

Read an Associated Press account HERE.

According to one AP account Aragon told reporters outside the federal courthouse today “It wasn’t a very happy day for me,” and said he was eager “to put this behind us and move forward.”

But just a year ago, I covered his arraignment, after which he told reporters, "Those of you who were in the courtroom know that I have pleaded not guilty. I have only one further statement. I am completely innocent."

I wonder if this means the National Hispanic Culture Center will change the name of this tower?

YOUR PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FINANCE DOLLAR AT WORK

Public Regulation Commission candidate Jerome Block, Jr.'s latest campaign finance report has lots of interesting stuff. Read Doug Mattson's story HERE .
One expense that caught my eye was a minor one -- a $35.91 payment for a lunch at Twin Peaks, an Albuquerque restaurant that has nothing to do with the greatest TV show of the late 80s and early 90s.

There doesn't seem top be a Web site for the Albuquerque location, but here's one for the Twin Peaks in Austin. Be sure to click the "scenic views" tab.

Here's a review of the eatery published a year ago in The Weekly Alibi. The paper says Twin Peaks is "a fairly new twist on the old Hooters formula of meat + beer + boobs = happy guys ..."

My favorite part of the review:

Our server, Gina, was clad in the regulation uniform of a tiny red-and-black checkered flannel tie-top with an open front, the shortest shorts imaginable and cutsie faux-wilderness-whacking boots. As expected, you can really see more meat on these ladies than on the chicken wings they’re hawking, and the wings are pretty meaty.

Block's report doesn't specify what he ordered.

Block, remember is using public campaign financing.

CORRECTION: The Albuquerque Twin Peaks doesn't have a fancy Web site, but they do have a MySpace. Under "About Me" it says "All female wait staff. NO SIDEWORK ..."

SLATE IN THE STATE

Slate online magazine this week published a story about New Mexico as a swing state. Reporter Jacob Leibenluft toured the state from Las Cruces to Raton. He was in Santa Fe for the Caroline Kennedy visit where he interviews state Auditor Hector Balderas.

One thing that stuck me is Leibenluft's contention while noting the small turnout for Caroline, that "many of the press reports about her visit erroneously said the event wasn't open to the public." That's certainly not true in any of this reporter's press reports -- and I don't remember seeing that in other papers either. I do recall that Caroline's appearance at PC's wasn't announced until the day before (I confirmed it the night before it was announced) and that until then all of her New Mexico events were closed fundraisers. That had been reported by myself and others.

Anywho, check out the Slate story: CLICK HERE.

UPDATE: I forgot to mention the story published yesterday in The Guardian. Nice photo too.

IN FOCUS

I appeared Friday on KNME's IN FOCUS as a part of the panel for The Line.

COUNTRY MUSIC POLITICAL SHOWDOWN

Hank Williams, Jr. campaigned with John McCain and Sarah Palin today. He sang a little song.



But for those of you who prefer Ralph Stanley, here's what the doctor says: