Coyote Gulch

Friday, July 27, 2007

Corruption
Josh Marshall: "It's been pretty clear for a while that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has repeatedly lied to investigative committees on Capitol Hill. But yesterday he took that fateful step of making a false statement about an event in which there are multiple fact witnesses available to contradict him. Indeed, the falsehood was apparently so great that even fellow members of the administration like FBI Chief Robert Mueller felt bound to contradict him publicly."

Ana Marie Cox (via Time): "Maybe now 'special prosecutor' is just a ceremonial title, designed to make people feel good about the illusion of justice. Like, you know, 'Attorney General.'"

Thanks to NewMexiKen for the link.
"2008 pres"
6:17:37 AM

Energy policy: Coal
Captain's Quarters: "Harry Reid has threatened to use his position in Congress to block the construction of four coal-fired electrical plants in Nevada. In a letter to three separate firms, Reid told them in no uncertain terms that his state doesn't need any of their dirty electricity -- in places like Las Vegas."

Don Surber: "The tax-exempt Environmental Integrity Project in Washington, D.C., issued its annual list of the 50 dirtiest power plants in America. This is illustrated by a photo showing steam -- water vapor -- escaping from a cooling tower. Sigh. Power plant emissions nationally are down even as electric generation is up. The report showed. Nitrogen oxide emissions fell 28% between 2002 and 2006. Sulfur dioxide emissions fell 8%. Carbon dioxide emissions -- the stuff you exhale -- rose by 3%. Electric production rose about 8% in that period."
"2008 pres"
6:13:49 AM

Iraq
Oliver Willis: "Conservative Don Surber sends us a dispatch from The Land Of Make Believe. The surge is working! A Republican congressman says so. Another Republican congressman says so. Well that settles it. Call up John McCain, I think it's time we went shopping in Baghdad again."

Juan Cole: "Iraqi guerrillas killed 8 US soldiers on Thursday. Among other violence against Iraqis, guerrillas detonated a massive car bomb in Central Baghdad that killed 25, wounded 75, and left rows of shops destroyed. Some 20 bodies were found in the streets of Baghdad on Thursday. South of Baghdad in Babil, a guerrillas used a roadside bomb to kill 5 policemen and wound two civilians. Al-Hayat writing in Arabic put the Iraqi death toll from direct civil war violence for Thursday at 65."
"2008 pres"
6:06:45 AM

? for President?
From today's Rocky Mountain News, "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton got an unlikely ally Thursday morning in her ongoing conflict with Sen. Barack Obama over a question of diplomacy that emerged during the CNN/YouTube debate earlier this week. 'She's right on that. He happens to be wrong,' former Massachusetts Republican Gov. Mitt Romney said of Clinton and Obama following his appearance here at a crowded, downtown restaurant."

Meanwhile Bill Richardson panders a bit to Iowans. From the article:

Presidential contenders aren't the only ones targeting Iowa. Terrorists are, too, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said during a brief news conference here Thursday. In fact, the Democratic candidate said he would put Iowa in the top 10 of all states when it comes to homeland security risk and the federal funds that go with it. That could come as a surprise to folks who assume that much larger, more densely populated states deserve the lion's share of anti-terrorism dollars. But at a gathering with Des Moines-area police and firefighters, Richardson said he was presented a "compelling" argument that Iowa isn't receiving its fair share.

Josh Marshall: "It's looking like there might not be a GOP CNN/Youtube debate. Rudy appears to be opting out and Mitt Romney doesn't seem far behind. And GOP party functionary Hugh Hewitt is already laying down a line of covering fire for the retreat, arguing that CNN and Youtube are biased against Republicans. 'Liberal Bias', whatever else it once was, now appears to be the new Republican code word for any venue or events not controlled by Republican commisars like Hugh Hewitt along the lines of President Bush's notorious Social Security townhalls in which only certified flunkies who swore to a Bush loyalty oath were let into the room...I'm not sure whether the resistance is rooted is the profound feebleness of the current GOP field or the fact that the current Bush Republican party is so beholden to a worldview based on denial and suppression of evidence that exposure to unpredictable questions presents too great a danger. But if they can't face Youtube how can they defeat the terrorists?"

Political Wire: "A new Research 2000 poll in Iowa shows John Edwards still leading the Democratic presidential race with 27% support, followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton at 22%, Sen. Barack Obama at 16% and Gov. Bill Richardson at 11%. On the GOP side, Mitt Romney leads with 25%, followed by Fred Thompson at 14%, Rudy Giuliani at 13% and Sen. John McCain at 10%."

Andrew Sullivan: "Rudy won't bite, apparently. Romney's decidedly cool to the idea. The others are getting iffy. Hewitt declares YouTube and CNN biased. Heh. For my part, the current old white men running for the GOP already seem from some other planet. Ducking YouTube after the Dems did so well will look like a party uncomfortable with the culture and uncomfortable with democracy. But then, we kind of knew that already, I guess, didn't we?"

Pollster.com::

New Gallup anaylses (and video) of recent national surveys of 3,006 adults (conducted in June and July) find:

* Among 1,204 Republicans and those who lean Republican, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads former Sen. Fred Thompson (29% to 19%) in a national primary. Among the 480 who attend church every week, Giuliani edges out Thompson 24% to 20%. Among the 420 who seldom or never attend church, Giuliani leads 33% to 18%.

* Among 1,515 Democrats and those who lean Democratic, Sen. Hillary Clinton leads Sen. Barack Obama (35% to 22%) in a national primary. Among the 364 who attend church every week, Clinton leads Obama 39% to 24%. Among the 794 who seldom or never attend church, Clinton leads Obama 32% to 20%.

* In general election match-ups, Giuliani leads Clinton by more than ten points among Americans who attend church weekly and among those who attend nearly weekly or monthly. Among Americans who seldom or never attend church, Clinton leads Giuliani by more than ten points (54% to 43%).
"2008 pres"
6:03:44 AM

2008 Democratic National Convention

From today's Denver Post, "Thirteen months before the Democratic presidential nominee takes the podium at Denver's Pepsi Center, national officials have set up office with an immediate goal of solidifying local and regional support. 'We are thrilled with the early enthusiasm,' said Leah Daughtry, the Democratic National Convention Committee's chief executive, at the offices in the former Denver Post building Thursday. 'We want to do everything we can to sustain that.' To that end, Daughtry announced she would hold a series of at least 10 public meetings she's dubbed 'Convention Conversations' in Colorado and other states in the Interior West."

More coverage from The Rocky Mountain News. They write:

About 10 staff members are on hand now. In the coming months, that number will swell to 150 or more, and eventually the committee will move to a different floor in the building. But for now, Suite 1175 is home. Daughtry spoke in front of the only wall-hanging in the office, a large Colorado flag. She touted the goals of the convention, which will be Aug. 25-28, 2008. Efforts will be made to make the convention the "greenest" ever, Daughtry said, with plans to look at everything from double- sided printing to recycling as part of the effort.

She downplayed the potential for heartburn, whether it be the angst of labor unions or the fears that the local committee, which already has missed one fundraising deadline, won't be able to bring in the $40 million it promised it would. And she contemplated the idea that the party could arrive in Denver a year from now without having settled on a presidential candidate. A few experts have kicked around the question of whether two or three candidates could still be standing when the delegates roll into town to select a nominee. That, she acknowledged, would be almost too much fun. "Oh, boy," she said. "Wouldn't that be exciting?"
"2008 pres"
5:56:06 AM

Durango RICD update

Here's an update on Durango's Recreational In Channel Diversion (RICD) application from The Durango Herald. From the article:

If a dispute over how much water the city of Durango wants for a kayak park on the Animas River isn't settled at mediation next month, opponents will prepare for a January trial, the attorney for the Southwestern Water Conservation District said Wednesday. "Everyone would like to save the cost of a trial, and you can always settle right up to trial time," said Barry Spear of the Durango law firm of Maynes, Bradford, Shipps and Sheftel. "But we need time to prepare for trial." The first mediation was July 11, and the next is scheduled Aug. 6. The trial is on the docket for Jan. 7-18 in Durango water court. At issue is the city's application for water flows of as much as 1,400 cubic-feet per second for a structured water course on a 1,200-foot stretch of the Animas River, including Smelter Rapid, at Santa Rita Park. In legal parlance, such allocations are called a recreational in-channel diversion, or RICD.

Durango's RICD application is opposed by about 50 organizations or agencies, including the Colorado Water Conservation Board, which is the lead opponent. The list of opponents also includes the federal government through the Bureau of Reclamation, ditch companies, La Plata County and the Southwestern Water Conservation District, which represents water interests in six counties and part of three others in Southwest Colorado. Spear said that in briefing Southwestern board members Tuesday, he discussed three issues that divide the parties. They are:

* How the city's RICD request will affect development upstream.

* Whether the amount of water the city wants is the minimum required for a "reasonable recreational experience." Entities that apply for an RICD are supposed to ask for no more water than what provides a "reasonable" experience.

* Whether the city's water right would affect the ability to develop the water available to Colorado under two compacts with other states.

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"colorado water"
5:49:41 AM

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