POLITICAL TIDBITS

I have to admit, my goat was gotten this week when the Associated Press ran a story -- that ran in about a zillion papers -- about governors switching to hybrid vehicles that started off like this:

When gasoline prices soared after Hurricane Katrina, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson looked at the Lincoln Navigator that ferries him around his home state and thought about the message he was sending.

The large sport utility vehicle doesn't get the best gasoline mileage -- about 15 miles per gallon. So the former U.S. energy secretary decided to switch to a Ford Escape hybrid, which combines gasoline and electric power.

I don't want to blow my own horn, (in fact, my former colleague Ben Neary is responsible for this) but I truly believe it was more likely that Richardson came to this decision not after looking at his Lincoln Navigator, but after looking at my Sept. 22 Roundhouse Round-up:

Gov. Bill Richardson held a press conference at a Santa Fe gas station Tuesday to announce he’s calling a special legislative session. He wants a rebate program for taxpayers to cover higher oil and gas prices.

“The nation is in a continuing energy emergency because we’re over dependent on oil and gas,” the governor told reporters. “It’s a reflection of weak, shortsighted national energy policy.”

Richardson drove to the press conference in a Lincoln Navigator, his preferred ride since he stopped tooling around in a Cadillac Escalade. According to the Web site www.fueleconomy.gov, Lincoln’s behemoth SUV gets about 13 mpg in the city while the Caddy was good for a whopping 14 mpg.

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It looks like the push by Richardson and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman for an early Western presidential primary is gaining some momentum.

Come in Idaho!

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For my analysis of the recently departed special session, CLICK HERE. (Looks like Monahan and I might have a common "alligator" here.)