Contrary to most of the posts above, I have seen Dominion Push and Dominion Kill by Pan in the SummerMadness game I'm in... As far as I know, Pan barely ever fought R'lyeh, but they've been eliminated from the game by Pan's dominion push. And EVERY other nation in the game is at risk of this... If you're doubtfull, here's a link to the scores:
http://www.llamaserver.net/showScore...=SummerMadness
Just take a look at the Dominion ratings.
So, it just depends on the situation.
Yes, it is possible to make an educated guess on your adversary's dominion strength (both starting and current). Familiarity with the Dominion chapter of the manual will help with this. As will knowing the scales, chassis and paths of your opponent's pretender.