CO-05: Bush pressures Hefley to seek re-election

Karl Rove must be worried about Jay Fawcett, the Retired Air Force Combat Pilot and Democratic candidate for Congressional District 5 in Colorado.  From the Rocky Mountain News:

The White House wants Joel Hefley, the 70-year-old dean of Colorado's congressional delegation to set aside any thoughts about retiring.

Hefley, R-Colorado Springs, said Monday he still has not decided whether he will seek an 11th term in the U.S. House of Representatives or retire at the end of 2006. He said he'll decide "soon."

In the meantime, Hefley said he received a call from one of President Bush's aides in recent days, urging him to stay in the race.

Bush doesn't care when planes hit buildings in New York, or hurricanes hit New Orleans, but if the Republicans need help politically...

x-posted @ SoapBlox Colorado

This is an insult to Hefley, a man from a different generation of Republican.  As the Rocky story reminds us (and how could we forget), the Bush Administration removed Hefley from his tenure-earned chairmanship on the Ethics Committee for admonishing now indicted former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

I hope Joel retires.  He owes Bush and the GOP nothing.

added commentary for dKos
Keep in mind how important CO-5 is to state-wide politics and congressional delegates elsewhere. In the state, the Govs seat is open, and the Dems took control of both the state House and Senate in 2004 for the first time in 42 years.  If Hefley retires, a bunch of GOoPs are going to be falling over each other for "the most conservative seat" in Colorado.

That's called Republicans wasting money, and with the current state GOP in disarray, the better chances we have of picking up a Gov, maintain control at the state house, and sending a Dem in CO-7, and maybe even CO-4!

And just to repeat: Hefley should retire.  He owes Bush nothing!