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Thursday, March 22, 2007
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? for president?
NewMexiKen: "Most revealing line of the day, so far:
"'You know, I'm sure I've taken a position on it in the past. I have to find out what my position was.' - John McCain.
"Oh, Senator, you've taken every position on every issue."
"2008 pres"
6:43:43 PM 
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Edwards for president?
Political Wire: "Despite earlier reports that John Edwards might suspend his presidential campaign due to his wife's health, he said at a press conference that he will continue. Said Edwards: 'The campaign goes on. The campaign goes on strongly.'"
Andrew Sullivan: "So, despite earlier reports, Edwards will not suspend his campaign. Good for him. The diagnosis is not as dire as it seemed only a little time ago, it seems. And if anyone did not know of Elizabeth Edwards' extraordinary character before, they do now. What I saw in this press conference was the reality of family values - not the rhetoric, not the divisiveness, not the politics, just the reality of an actual family dealing with real issues."
"2008 pres"
6:40:14 PM
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Iraq
Andrew Sullivan: "It seems to me that the smartest thing for the Democrats to do is simply to echo the Republican candidates. On every occasion possible, the Democrats should cite these Republicans, quote them and agree with them. Micro-managing a war from the Congress is a fool's game. Trying to cut off funds actually helps Bush: it relieves him of the responsibility for the nightmare his incompetence and arrogance have created. The cold truth is: There will be no resolution to this war before the next election, and instead of trying to create one, the Democrats should simply give the president what he wants, expand the broad defense budget to protect the military from being totally broken before the next election, and simply hold Bush accountable for the results. It's his war. Make him own it. If by some miracle, the surge succeeds, then it's good for Iraq and America. And if the Democrats have funded it, they can also take some credit. If it fails, it will be Bush's final, miserable failure."
Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise. - Thomas Gray
Talking Points Memo: "At last minute, liberal House Dems throw their weight behind the leadership's Iraq bill, making passage all but certain."
"2008 pres"
6:20:00 PM
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Mega-primary?
Don Surber: "Anthony Man of the Sun-Sentinel reported that Florida may move its presidential primary to Jan. 29, a week before the Super Duper Primary. Not to worry. Florida won't have the votes counted until November."
Political Wire: "New York 'is jumping on the bandwagon and joining what is shaping up as the presidential mega-primary next Feb. 5,' the New York Times reports."
"2008 pres"
6:04:52 PM
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Corruption
TPM Muckraker: "Constitutional scholar Tony Snow on ABC this morning: 'The executive branch is under no compulsion to testify to Congress, because Congress in fact doesn't have oversight ability. So what we've said is we're going to reach out to you - we'll give you every communication between the White House, the Justice Department, the Congress, anybody on the outside, any kind of communication that would indicate any kind of activity outside, and at the same time, we'll make available to you any of the officiels you want to talk to ... knowing full well that anything they said is still subject to legal scrutiny, and the members of Congress know that."
Josh Marshall: "Quite a few people have speculated over whether Tony Snow really meant to say that Congress had no right or ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch. The claim is belied by the US constitution and all US history down to the present day. But I strongly suspect that it was no accident, slip of the tongue or loosely general statement the White House won't stand behind.
"The simple truth, I think, is that there's too much criminality waiting to be uncovered.
"In the US Attorney purge, yes. But that's only the start of it.
"The only and perhaps the best approach for the White House is to fight what in military terms you might call a forward engagement, gumming up the very concept and premise of oversight itself in the courts for long enough to wait out the clock. That's what this is about.
"Late Update: In this morning's gaggle Snow said that Congress can oversee the executive departments, just not the White House. That's a slightly more defensible position constitutionally speaking, but only slightly. It's still basically bogus. What Snow and thus the president is saying is that 'executive privilege' is the rule rather than a seldom invoked veil that the president invokes to guard his own communications and deliberation and thus prevent the balance of power between the branches of government from becoming too tilted toward the legislative branch."
"2008 pres"
5:59:17 PM
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War on terror
Captain's Quarters: "British authorities have arrested three men in connection to the London subway bombings on July 7, 2005. According to reports, they caught two of them just before the suspects boarded a flight to Pakistan."
"2008 pres"
5:56:30 PM
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? for president?
Best line of the day so far (reported by NewMexiKen): "'There's a dangerous culture of obedience throughout much of this country that's worse in Utah than anywhere.' - Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson quoted in The New York Times. Anderson supports the impeachment of President Bush."
Update: It looks like Mitt Romney is a big fan of Mayor Rocky Anderson.
"2008 pres"
7:14:33 AM
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Corruption
Josh Marshall: "Okay, enough. The president fired US Attorneys to stymie investigations of Republicans and punish US Attorneys who didn't harass Democrats with bogus voter fraud prosecutions. In the former instance, the evidence remains circumstantial. But in the latter the evidence is clear, overwhelming and undeniable.
"Indeed, it is so undeniable the president hismelf does not deny it..."
"2008 pres"
7:11:53 AM
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Watson for City Council?
Denver Politics: "The attack ads against Darrell Watson are now gone. One of the original authors has vanished, and another removed his/her two postings. Denver voters will be thankful for the ads' removal from the campaign, as they were Shakespearean in their presence: 'full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.' The original Denver Post story was obnoxious from the start, and clearly demeaning of the public interest."
"denver 2007"
7:01:15 AM
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War on terror
beSpacific: "Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) report on Terrorism Enforcement: International, Domestic and Financial: 'An analysis of timely Justice Department records shows that while there has been a sharp decline in the prosecution of individuals the government has identified as international terrorists (see earlier TRAC Terrorism report), criminal cases aimed at domestic terrorists and individuals involved in terrorism-related financial schemes show different trends.'"
"2008 pres"
6:50:43 AM
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Today is World Water Day. Use the day as an occasion to thank the movers and shakers in water around the state that make sure that you have a good supply of water for all your needs. Also reflect on the looming shortages, not just here Colorado, but worldwide. Many across the world are dying every day due to a lack of clean drinking water. Resolve to be wiser with water.
"colorado water"
6:48:11 AM
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Fry-Ark water for Aurora?
U.S. Congressman Mark Udall is asking for an EIS about Aurora's proposed 40 year lease for storage and exchange of 10,000 acre feet of water in Pueblo Reservoir, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "The bureau is preparing an environmental assessment - probably by the end of the week - on Aurora's proposal to lease 10,000 acre-feet of excess capacity space in Lake Pueblo and to exchange up to 10,000 acre-feet annually to Twin Lakes in a paper trade. The length of the contract would be 40 years. Udall said the environmental assessment is less comprehensive than the EIS. The EIS is needed because of the controversies involved and to assure those who have concerns about the proposal, Udall said. Additionally, he said he thinks the Colorado congressional delegation could be divided because some have raised concerns that, without new legislation, the bureau lacks the authority to contract with Aurora...
"The bureau is preparing to issue the final environmental assessment by the end of the week, said Kara Lamb, public affairs officer. 'It is one of the most comprehensive EAs we've prepared,' Lamb said. One section of the EA addresses Udall's concern and explains why a full EIS was not done, Lamb added.
"Aurora is proposing to use the Fryingpan-Arkansas Project to export water from the Arkansas Valley to the South Platte, a purpose that many have said was never part of the 1962 act authorizing the project. U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., is the latest to raise the question, although it was questioned in the past by both the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District. The 1962 act states that providing supplemental water for municipal, agricultural and industrial uses within the Arkansas Valley, as well as flood control and hydroelectric generation, are the primary purposes of the Fry-Ark Project. The bureau in 1986, 2003 and last fall, cited the 1962 Fry-Ark law and reclamation laws from 1902 and 1939, as well as past policies, as authority to enter contracts with Aurora. The bureau has issued one-year contracts to Aurora since 1986. Aurora would have storage space only after all needs for the Fry-Ark Project and contracts with in-basin users are satisfied. If Fry-Ark Project reservoir accounts are full, Aurora's water would be the first to spill. Aurora's storage account could be emptied and refilled as needed, while the exchange is limited to 10,000 acre-feet annually."
"colorado water"
6:13:56 AM
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Springs and Lower Arkansas Water Conservancy District sign agreement for Fountain Creek
Colorado Springs Utilities signed an agreement yesterday aimed at cleaning up Fountain Creek, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article, "Colorado Springs Utilities inked a deal Wednesday with a five-county water district that officials hope leads to a grander effort to clean up Fountain Creek and tap Arkansas Valley water supplies. The agreement is with the Lower Arkansas Valley Water Conservancy District, which covers Pueblo, Prowers, Otero, Crowley and Bent counties...
"The Lower District agreement calls for the district and Springs Utilities to commit $300,000 each over two years to draft a Fountain Creek corridor master plan. The plan will look at sedimentation, erosion, water quality, environmental and recreational concerns. It's the same path carved by a group of 25 to 30 agencies participating in the Fountain Creek Vision Plan launched last year by El Paso County at Sen. Ken Salazar's urging. The vision plan, though, lacks money, staff, a headquarters and a binding agreement on what to achieve by when...
"The district agreement also sets in motion a push to retain the Arkansas River[base ']s water within the river basin...
"The other agencies Springs Utilities hopes to draw into the larger agreement by this summer are Pueblo, Pueblo Board of Water Works, Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, Aurora, Fountain, Pueblo West Metropolitan District and the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District."
"colorado water"
6:04:25 AM
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McInnis out in run for U.S. Senate
Here's an article about Scott McInnis' decision to skip a run for the U.S. Senate from the Glenwood Springs Post Independent "reg". They write, "The prospect that it could have been a 14-year commitment contributed to a decision by Glenwood Springs native Scott McInnis not to run for the U.S. Senate, he said Wednesday. McInnis said in a telephone interview that family considerations also played a major role in the decision, which he announced Wednesday...
"McInnis had formed a Senate campaign exploratory committee last month. He said he had spent the last 40 days or so traveling the state and making hundreds of phone calls before coming to a decision. He said family factors were a consideration in that decision. In 2003, when McInnis opted against running for re-election to the U.S. House, he talked about his desire to return to living full-time in Colorado. He said he and his wife, Lori, enjoy spending time with their parents in western Colorado. McInnis treasures going on Saturday drives with his parents. 'There are those moments that you think about a little more when you start to think about a campaign,' he said. 'It doesn't take much convincing to say, 'Gosh, why would you want to move out of Colorado?' And of course I don't, he said...
"But he said he was prepared to succeed in a primary fight and the prospect of going through one wasn't a factor in his decision not to run. Nor, he said, was the prospect of a race against Udall a deterrent. He said he got along well with his former House colleague, but there were clear differences between them on the issues, which would have been apparent from their voting records in Congress...
"A former Glenwood policeman, McInnis was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1982 by 12 votes - 13 after a recount. He rose to the position of House majority leader before winning election to Congress in 1992. He served six two-year terms in Congress."
"denver 2008"
5:54:15 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/14/09; 9:08:04 PM.
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