Coyote Gulch

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

? for President?
Political Wire: "A new Public Policy Polling survey in Pennsylvania shows Hillary Clinton expanding her lead to 26 points, 56% to 30%, after a very bad news week for Sen. Barack Obama's campaign."

Josh Mashall: "Rasmussen's daily tracking poll of the Dem race shows a sizeable tightening of the race -- from an 8 point Obama lead to a 1 point lead in a single day. It could be noise or the first sign of damage from the Wright imbroglio."
"2008 pres"
7:24:23 PM

Energy policy: Oil shale

Denver Business Journal: "The two biggest natural resource industries in Colorado could be setting up for a battle over the state's future. The Front Range Water Council -- made up of the utilities that supply water the people who live on the Front Range -- has asked the Bureau of Land Management to extend its deadline for comments on a draft plan for developing oil shale on Colorado's Western Slope... The current deadline is March 20, but the letter from the council -- signed by Dave Little, the chief planner for Denver Water, the state's largest water utility -- asks for an extension to May 19. An extension at this point, less than two days before the original deadline, is unlikely, said BLM spokeswoman Heather Feeney."

More Coyote Gulch coverage here.
"2008 pres"
7:08:44 PM

Barack Obama: A More Perfect Union
The big news of the day of course is U.S. Senator Barack Obama's speech in Philadelphia. We thought it was an important speech for the U.S. He shows a willingness to discuss the tough subjects in the open without the posturing that we're so used to, without the careful parsing of speech to make sure that no important supporter is offended and eschewing the willingness of our modern leaders to try to play the poll numbers.

Not this time, indeed, Mr. Obama.

Here's a reaction from Andrew Sullivan. He writes, "But I do want to say that this searing, nuanced, gut-wrenching, loyal, and deeply, deeply Christian speech is the most honest speech on race in America in my adult lifetime. It is a speech we have all been waiting for for a generation. Its ability to embrace both the legitimate fears and resentments of whites and the understandable anger and dashed hopes of many blacks was, in my view, unique in recent American history. And it was a reflection of faith - deep, hopeful, transcending faith in the promises of the Gospels. And it was about America - its unique promise, its historic purpose, and our duty to take up the burden to perfect this union - today, in our time, in our way."

John McWhorter (via New Republic): "It must be understood what a maverick statement this is from a 40-something black politician. In the black community one does not sass one's elders. One is expected to show a particular deference, understandably, to the generation who fought on the barricades of the Civil Rights movement. That is, to people of Jeremiah Wright's vintage. For a light-skinned half-white Ivy League-educated black man to repudiate, in clear language and repeatedly, the take on race of people like Julian Bond and Nikki Giovanni is not only honest but truly bold."

Left in the West: "So Obama - doing the right thing - faced his critics head-on with his his speech, "A More Perfect Union." And it was a doozy, even by Obama's already lofty standards."

Here's a roundup of reactions to the speech from The Daily Kos.

Oliver Willis: "One of my personal maxims has been that politicians will disappoint you. The ones you like will have personal failings, while the ones you detest will fail time and time again. With Senator Obama, for the first time in my life, I have watched a political leader who I don't worry if he'll be up to the task. It's like you had Michael Jordan in his prime or Joe Montana with 2 minutes to go. It's that feeling where you say to yourself: Ok, breathe, he's got it. Chill, Barack's got it."

Here's the video. Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link.

Another roundup from Andrew Sullivan.

Hillary Clinton (via TPM Election Central): "I did not have a chance to see or to read yet Sen. Obama's speech. But I'm very glad that he gave it. It's an important topic. Issues of race and gender in America have been complicated throughout our history, and they are complicated in this primary campaign.

"There have been detours and pitfalls along the way. But we should remember that this is an historic moment for the Democratic Party, and for our country. We will be nominating the first African-American or woman for the Presidency of the United States, and that is something that all Americans can and should celebrate."
"2008 pres"
6:09:07 PM

Climate Change: The earth is a beautifully complex system

Glaciers are melting rapidly worldwide, shrinking water supplies, while scientists are losing an important record of past local weather conditions. Here's a report from The Environment News Service. From the article:

European glaciers are among the hardest hit, but most of the world's glaciers are melting at a record pace as global warming accelerates, the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, announced today. Data from close to 30 reference glaciers in nine mountain ranges indicate that between the years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 the average rate of melting and thinning more than doubled. Since 1980 there has been a total reduction in thickness of ice of just over 11.5 meters, or almost 38 feet. The findings come from the UNEP-supported World Glacier Monitoring Service based at the University of Zurich. It has been tracking the condition of glaciers for over a century. Continuous data series of annual mass balance, expressed as thickness change, are available for 30 reference glaciers since 1980. "The latest figures are part of what appears to be an accelerating trend with no apparent end in sight," said World Glacier Monitoring Service Director Professor Wilfried Haeberli.

The Service calculates thickening and thinning of glaciers in terms of "water equivalent." The estimates for the year 2006 indicate that further shrinking took place equal to around 1.4 meters of water equivalent compared to losses of half a meter in 2005. On average, one meter water equivalent corresponds to 1.1 meters in ice thickness, indicating a further shrinking in 2006 of 1.5 actual meters. "This continues the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades and brings the total loss since 1980 to more than 10.5 meters of water equivalent," said Dr. Haberli.

Some of the most dramatic shrinking has taken place in Europe, with Norway's Breidalblikkbrea glacier thinning by close to 3.1 meters during 2006 compared with a thinning of 0.3 meters in the year 2005. UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Millions if not billions of people depend directly or indirectly on these natural water storage facilities for drinking water, agriculture, industry and power generation during key parts of the year...There are many canaries emerging in the climate change coal mine," he said. "The glaciers are perhaps among those making the most noise and it is absolutely essential that everyone sits up and takes notice."
"cc"
7:27:57 AM