Columnist Jon Ralston: One is sneaky, the other hasty

Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 | 4:52 a.m.

That same question was raised in two separate ways last week and shows that Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham and Mayor Oscar Goodman may have something in common. Abraham, along with most federal politicians, believes that whatever dangers are inherent in burying 77,000 tons of nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain are overridden by the imperative to dispose of the toxic offal. And Goodman, along with most of his rubber-stamping council, believes that whatever hazards lurk in the uncharted world of Internet gaming are overridden by the imperative for the city to make money by selling its imprimatur to the highest bidder.

Whether Abraham ends up screwing the state or Goodman succeeds in prostituting the city will be clear by early next year. But in both cases, you see men pursuing tendentious goals and only giving the pretense that they have not yet made up their minds.

Let's first take Abraham and his surprise visit to Las Vegas to appear at a Yucca Mountain hearing.

Dump opponents won't like to hear this -- although some of them know it -- but Abraham's decision not to let anyone know he was coming was nothing short of political incandescence. The Nevada folks lambasted the secretary weeks ago for not coming to Nevada, then he comes and they go bonkers because he didn't give them his itinerary in advance so they could have prepared a dog-and-pony show. Instead, Abraham revved up one of his own -- and you could hear the mewling from here to Capitol Hill.

"If the secretary of energy is going to sneak into town like some kind of fugitive, he is never going to have to hear the real concerns of the people of Nevada," Rep. Shelley Berkley wailed. Oh, please. If he had notified Berkley & Co., they all would have sounded like the ever-ebullient, ever-frothing Goodman, who ran over to the hearing to perform because he was the only political actor around.

Abraham's statements weren't much better, though. "I have not made a decision on Yucca Mountain, and any decision I make will be made on a thorough and comprehensive review," he said comically. Oh, maybe he'll decide to put nuclear waste at that other place they're studying and just forget about the $8 billion that has already been spent here.

No, Abraham flew here so when he recommends Yucca Mountain, he can tell President Bush that he came, felt Nevada's pain but that it wasn't enough to go outstrip the national interest. Next, Bush will approve the site, Gov. Kenny Guinn will veto it and a majority of Congress will have to be mustered to sustain the veto. Then we will see just how much stroke Harry Ensign has on Capitol Hill and whether dump shill Bob List & Co. can really begin to soften the beaches here at home.

As for Goodman and his panting after an Internet gaming company that wants to rent the city's credibility, His Honor is appearing more and more desperate for money since Sept. 11. Goodman says he probably wouldn't be pursuing this deal if the terrorist attacks hadn't occurred and he didn't have to -- cliche alert -- "think outside the box."

Goodman insisted Friday that he has to "roll the dice" because of the economic situation, which he thinks is not improving. (What happened to the happy, optimistic mayor?)

He guaranteed that no company will be able to get the contract with the city if it can't find a way to assure no bets will be placed from the United States, ensure no minors log on and pledge to track all compulsive gamblers. And, I gather, the outfit also will have to have the capacity to reach through a user's computer and break his legs if his credit card is expired. Yes, the technological advances are incredible in this area. But it will never be foolproof. And the thought that His Honor thinks it's worth the risk to mortgage the city's credibility and ignore the policy concerns associated with cybergaming because of the return ("They tell me it can make a billion dollars at the end of five years") is just loony.

Goodman says he even wants the local casinos to bid. And while they opposed the proposal Goodman embraced earlier this year, and that was started by Bob Stupak, the gamers probably will employ the same deeply held principle as they used with Indian gaming, extra-Nevada gaming and Internet gaming, too -- be against it until they see a chance to enhance their bottom lines.

No matter how successful their various risk-taking ventures turn out, Abraham and Goodman will find one great difference so far as the public goes: Abraham will never be liked here, no matter how he spins it. And Goodman, no matter what harebrained scheme he concocts or impolitic thing he says, will always have the love of the masses.

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