Wednesday, August 20, 2008

McCain's coming for our water?

This story seems to have legs, at least in Colorado:

Did John McCain signal the end of his Republican presidential run and launch his next campaign for the U.S. Senate in a phone interview with The Pueblo Chieftain last week?

During the interview on Thursday, McCain called for a renegotiation of the Colorado River Compact. Colorado has nine Electoral College votes, and McCain’s statements could have pushed Colorado voters one more step away from him in the presidential election. At the very least the senator from Arizona provided a wedge issue for the Obama campaign to exploit here and across the southwestern United States.

Just to be clear, not everyone in Colorado pays attention to water issues, but those who do really, really care about it. And it could affect their votes, regardless of party affiliation. If you live in Colorado (where the Colorado River, you know, comes from) and you hear this talk from a dude from Arizona (where they draw from the Colorado River to water their golf courses), you get jittery. Which is why state politicians of both parties, including Sen. Ken Salazar (D) and senatorial candidate Bob Schaffer (R) have publicly rebuked McCain over the comments.

Keep your eyes on these lines:

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