I Have Paid My Dues

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Other speculation on Laxalt's withdrawal focuses on his $250 million libel suit against the Sacramento Bee and two sister newspapers. A 1983 Bee article alleged that nearly $2 million was skimmed from the Ormsby House, a casino- hotel Laxalt established in Carson City after his gubernatorial term ended in 1971. Laxalt denies that the suit has any bearing on his announcement, but the case is moving toward trial, and the newspaper, in support of its case, has amassed boxes of potentially embarrassing notes and documents.

Is Laxalt's decision final? There was no indication to the contrary, but Nevada remembers how Democratic Senator Alan Bible, another of the state's political institutions, announced he was quitting in the mid-1950s, only to reverse himself after arm-twisting by then Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. Laxalt may genuinely intend to retire, says a Las Vegas insider, but "what if Nevada holds the Senate balance and the call comes next spring: 'I need you'?"