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Wednesday, January 9, 2008
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Andrew Sullivan: "'I don't see how [McCain] wins the Republican nomination. I'm second to none in praising him on his surge leadership. But on a whole host of issues -- including water boarding, tax cuts, and the freedom of speech -- he's not one of us,' - Kathryn Jean Lopez.
"It's pretty staggering to see a Khmer Rouge torture technique now being touted as a core Republican principle. But there's one silver lining to the elections so far. The candidates who have performed best - Obama, Clinton, Huckabee and McCain - are the four candidates with the clearest opposition to torture. This gives me hope for a return to decency after the Bush-Cheney years. It also shows how opposition to torture is not a vote-loser. America is so much better than the toxins of Cheney-Addington-Rumsfeld."
"2008 pres"
6:09:30 PM 
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Oliver Willis: "Hey look, John McCain, the cosponsor of the hated McCain-Kennedy immigration bill just won the New Hampshire primary. And Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa and is nominally the national frontrunner, has at best a pretty mushy immigration record. It may just be that like last year and in the special elections early this year, the anti-immigration vote is confined to the limits of Fox News? The sound you hear is Republican consultants rushing to find a wedge issue before November."
"2008 pres"
6:01:34 PM
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Pollster.com: "There is obviously one and only one topic on the minds of those who follow polls today. What happened in New Hampshire? Why did every poll fail to predict Hillary Clinton's victory? Let's begin by acknowledging the obvious. There is a problem here. Even if the discrepancy between the last polls and the results turns out to be about a big last minute shift to Hillary Clinton that the polls somehow missed (and that certainly sounds like a strong possibility), just about every consumer of the polling data got the impression that a Barack Obama victory was inevitable. One way or another, that's a problem."
"2008 pres"
5:58:42 PM
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Living the Grand Life: "Hillary is not gone yet. McCain is still in the game. Note that the two "winners" received less than 40% of the vote each. So, on the other hand, we could say that a majority - 60+% - do not want Hillary, and do not want McCain."
State 38: "Tonight's New Hampshire primary results were amazing, even for those of us who are veterans of many a presidential cycle. I so enjoy the fact that what is supposed to happen rarely does, and that the voters have a consistent ability to surprise the pollsters and pundits. You could feel the desperation in the Obama crowd through the television screen, just as you could feel the relief of the Clinton camp as you watched her staff handle the evening's spin. Anyone who has been involved in politics for any length of time knows exactly what it feels like to be on both sides of this divide, deep disappointment when things don't turn out as you'd hope and incredible glee when things surprisingly go your way."
Here's an extensive roundup of yesterday's New Hampshire primary from The Moderate Voice. We're glad they stay up late so we don't have to.
Blogs for Victory: "It was a shock for Hillary to win - except, it really wasn't. Not for me - 'cause I'm the guy who freely admits he doesn't have a clue how primary voters will go this year. It was fun to check 'round the 'net today and watch pundits re-re-re-re-cast their political prognostications as the returns came in. Face it, folks, this is a political tsunami - its going to go where it goes, and all any of us can do is argue our case as best we can, and let the chips fall where they may. The American people do, indeed, seem in a mood for a fresh start - but this doesn't necessarily come down in anyone's favor at any given moment."
Andrew Sullivan: "Did McCain hurt Obama? It's plausible given the large number of independents. They couldn't vote for both McCain and Obama."
Captain's Quarters: "New Hampshire voters have cast their ballots, and the results seem pretty clear. John McCain completed a months-long comeback, while Hillary Clinton suddenly righted a ship that looked in serious danger of foundering. She eked out a narrow win when polls suggested a big loss, and McCain took a race that looked like a toss-up and almost turned it into a laugher."
"2008 pres"
6:33:41 AM
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The Colorado Oil and Gas Commission played to a full house up in Weld County this week, according to The Greeley Tribune "reg". From the article:
Hundreds from across the region voiced their concerns Tuesday night over proposed rules they believe could severely delay oil and gas permitting, which could encumber the industry and leave landowners strapped for cash. The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission hosted an overflowing meeting Tuesday night at the Weld County Planning Building Department, 918 10th St. in Greeley, to get input about proposed new permitting regulations that would allow input from a variety of sources, including environmental and health agencies. Opponents claim adding such layers to the permitting will add months to the development of new well sites, which could lead to shortcomings in supplies of natural gas and oil. Landowners relying royalty payments also could be hurt, they said. Weld County Commissioner Douglas Rademacher said the proposed extra regulations and the facet of another legislative body controlling land use -- especially in Weld County -- was not beneficial to those involved. "I probably disagree with 80 percent of what they're proposing because I truly believe it's gonna cripple the industry," Rademacher said. "We will probably do a formal response as far as the county in the next coming weeks because we need to respond to this."[...]
The rules stated in the pre-draft proposal come as a response to two house bills passed last year mandating the adoption of the rules. The first, House Bill 1298, deals largely with the conservation of Colorado's wildlife and habitat while HB1341 takes into consideration the protection of public health, safety and the environment. David Neslin, acting director of the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, said that the need for the new regulations came as the state experienced rapid development and population growth while permits surged for oil and natural gas wells. The new regulations, he said, could help better manage the energy economy and help the environment. Neslin said that all feedback would be taken into consideration as the pre-draft proposal for the rules are revised. The commission is facing an April 1 deadline to comply with the new legislation, which could be extended to July. "I understand the concern people have and, as I mentioned, the objective here is not to limit oil and gas production, it's not to reduce oil and gas production." Neslin said at Tuesday's hearing. "It's to ensure that that production occurs in a way that's also balanced with other resources and other assets like wildlife like air and water quality and so on."
"[Colorado Oil and Gas Association] seems to be upset because they weren't allowed to draft the rules themselves," Neslin said. "I've told them I just think that's inappropriate." For more information or to submit comments: http://oil-gas.state.co.us.
In other oil and gas news U.S. Senator Ken Salazar and U.S. Representative John Salazar are teaming up on proposed legislation for developing the Roan Plateau, according to The Aspen Daily News "reg". From the article:
Brothers and fellow legislators Ken and John Salazar jointly announced plans on Tuesday for a legislative package intended to put in place new protections for the Roan Plateau that were recommended by Gov. Bill Ritter. Those recommendations go farther than current federal plans, which open up much of the surface of the Roan to natural gas drilling. They fall short, however, of the total drilling ban that many environmentalists and some nearby communities have sought. "The Roan Plateau is a very special and unique place for us here in Colorado," said Sen. Ken Salazar, who like his brother, Rep. John Salazar, is a Democrat. "It's one of the most diverse wildlife habitats that we have in the state. ... It's a very special place and it's one of those special places we need to protect. It also has significant gas resources that have been known to exist for a long time." The legislative package, which is also being proposed by Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo., calls for protecting from drill rigs about 15,000 more acres on top of the Roan Plateau than the current Bureau of Land Management plan recommends. Those additional acres were recommended last month by Ritter, a Democrat, to further protect areas of environmental concern. "I will not allow the Western Slope or any part of our state to become a sacrificial zone for oil and gas development," Sen. Salazar said.
The package also calls for reversing a Bush administration measure to reduce the state's share of oil and gas leasing revenues from 50 percent to 48 percent. And it calls for transferring excess dollars in the Anvil Points oil shale trust fund - expected to amount to more than $40 million - back to Garfield and Rio Blanco counties for land and water conservation efforts and to address roads impacted by the energy industry. The trust fund was created to mitigate previous oil shale impacts in the Naval Oil Shale Reserve, which includes the Roan Plateau. It currently has about $80 million. The legislators said the package would likely be included in another bill in the upcoming legislative session to improve its chances of success. "We're going to have to find a vehicle to move it forward as quickly as possible," Rep. Salazar said. "I don't think as a stand alone we're going to be able to get the support we need."
"2008 pres"
5:47:57 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 1:58:59 PM.
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