Blogs and Opinion
Gang of Four Blog
The last week has seen a tectonic shift in American politics and government. Those of us who opposed the $700 billion bailout have been proved...
A new ad by a group which claims to be interested in campaign finance reform attempts to reignite the non-issue of Bob Schaffer’s fact-finding trip...
For some reason, a couple of my favorite leftist commenters have a problem with what I do for a living. However, for...
Last night's presidential debate was certainly John McCain's strongest performance yet.
He attacked Obama, if belatedly, and...
With the entire economic world in meltdown thanks to so-called "toxic mortgages" and exotic securitized instruments, I've been wondering...
For a light but substantive review of all the issues on this year's crowded ballot, check out the debate in my hometown of Backbone,...
I had gotten distracted from finishing my series on "Bob Schaffer and the real CNMI story", what with all these interesting political...
One of what I considered to be the most important arguments against the “financial system stabilization” bill is that it would let people...
Washington & the West Blog
Congresswoman Diana DeGette said this morning that elected...
The federal Bureau of Land Management today auctioned 55,186 acres on the Roan Plateau for oil and gas development, reports Mark Jaffe.
The sale at the Denver Marriott West in Golden raised $114 million from a half dozen bidders.
In back-and-forth bickering on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell attempted to force Democrats to vote on a measure opening up coastal waters for drilling when gas reached $4.50, $5 or even $7.50 a gallon, reports The Salt Lake Tribune.
"If $5-gallon gasoline isn't an emergency, I have to ask what is an emergency?" McConnell said.
"It's a phantom solution," countered Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., noting that such drilling would not affect gas prices in the short term. Watch video of McConnell bidding up the price, and Salazar's reactions.
From the U.S. Department of State...
"Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joins the Aspen Music Festival and School and the Aspen Institute in an...
The state of Colorado filed one of the 17,000 protests against the Bureau of Land Management's plan to lease the Roan Plateau for drilling next...
Colorado and federal officials sparred with environmental groups before a national advisory committee Wednesday over a proposed rule to manage 4 million acres of roadless forests, report Anne Mulkern and Mark Jaffe.
"The state of Colorado does believe that this is a solid, sound vehicle for protecting the state's roadless areas," state Department of Natural Resources director Harris Sherman said at the meeting.
But Pam Kiely, acting director of Environment Colorado, criticized the hurried pace for approving the rule.
Former Justice Department official Monica Goodling interviewed attorney Cliff Stricklin, then recommended him for the job of first assistant U.S. attorney in Colorado because he was politically suitable, a Justice Department investigation found, reports Felisa Cardona.
Stricklin, now in private practice with the Denver firm Holland & Hart, is best known for leading the prosecution team in the federal insider-trading case against former Qwest chief executive Joe Nacchio.
To those whose one-word solution to the U.S. energy dilemma is "drill," Sen. Ken Salazar has a one-word response: "Incomplete," reports AP.
The Colorado lawmaker says drilling for more domestic oil and gas is part of the solution, and he's joining fellow Democrats to push for extension of renewable energy tax credits.
Republicans, bolstered by the public's frustrations with high pump prices, want to lift restrictions on drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
"There are those within the GOP who've taken the position that we will drill our way out of energy dependence. I think that answer is incomplete," Salazar said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "Those who come down to the proposition who say our answer is one word, 'drill,' are not being forthright with what we have to do in the long term."
