McCain’s Colorado River Gaffe Might Cost Him Key Western States
John McCain has again said something to cause his fellow western-state Republicans to wince at his political inexpedience and apparent naivete for the issue at hand. And even though the Senator has now recanted and begun damage control, Democrats are hoping that this one will cost him. Some even argue that the gaff was so severe, he may have just lost Colorado.
McCain told The Pueblo Chieftan last week that he wants to renegotiate the 1922 Colorado River compact to re-appropriate water from the upper basin states, like Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, where the river originates and give it to lower basin states like California, and his home state of Arizona. McCain said:
“I don’t think there’s any doubt the major, major issue is water and can be as important as oil. So the compact that is in effect, obviously, needs to be renegotiated over time amongst the interested parties. I think that there’s a movement amongst the governors to try, if not, quote, renegotiate, certainly adjust to the new realities of high growth, of greater demands on a scarcer resource.”
“Over my cold, dead, political carcass,” said Bob Schaffer, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. “The 
compact is the only protection Colorado has from several more politically powerful downstream states. Opening it for renegotiation would be the equivalent of a lamb discussing with a pack of wolves what should be on the dinner menu.”
John Redifer, political science professor at Mesa State College, said McCain’s position makes sense in light of Arizona’s needs, but not as a national policy. “I wonder if he is running for president of the United States or for something in Arizona when he makes those statements,” Redifer was quoted as saying in the Grand Junction Sentinel. “I’m really kind of surprised that someone running for president … that needs to carry the state of Colorado would make a statement like that.”
[...] Red Green and Blue calls it right: No matter which way you slice it, this has the potential to be a big political gaff. The sensitivity of the water issue is such that it can often overwhelm partisan allegiances. Across the American West there’s an old saying that goes, “Whiskey’s for drinkin’ and water’s for fightin’” Sen. McCain should have known better. Water in the Colorado Basin is not something that one tosses around with such disregard for its importance to upper basin users. A point that will certainly be hammered home next week in Denver at the Democratic National Convention. [...]
I missed this gaffe. And I used to live in CA, where water rights were always in the news. Perhaps McCain was just having a senior moment, or maybe something is wrong with his brain, or his aides need to do their homework better.
Just so that people from Arizona, Nevada, and California understand this, we in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming understand that you need water. It’s just that it’s our water that falls on our states in the form of snow you moved to avoid ever seeing or feeling. And just like you people in California don’t expect that the government will come in and take the fruit from your trees and give it to us to eat, we don’t think it’s right that we should have to give you our water. It’s ours and not yours. If we want to dam it all up and keep it for ourselves, that should be our right. It’s not that we don’t like you or care about you, it’s that it’s our natural resource not yours. Funny, the Texans would never think in a millions years that it isn’t their right to charge everyone for their oil that they pump out of their ground. There is no earthly reason why the water that flows out of our mountains should be given to down streamers for free, none at all. And, frankly this goes for the people who drink from the Rio Grande, Platte, and Arkansas Rivers all of which start in Colorado. It’s our water. That’s all, and I’m sure we’d be happy to share more of it for a price. We’ve been giving it away for free for more than 100 years. It’s totally unfair and any reasonable thinking person who knows anything about water rights and mineral rights can see that Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming are all being ripped off by the rest of the West due to the compact rules that were established over 100 years ago. It’s down right blooming unfair and two-faced. Hey, Arizona, you want to give us copper in exchange for our water? Hey Nevada, you want to give us some of your silver in exchange for our water? We don’t raid your states’ resources, why are you allowed to raid ours? And why does John McCain, a patriot of this great country, think it would be ok to just take more of another state’s resources? Here’s an interesting tid bit, the Governers and Provincial Leaders of the Great Lakes States and Provinces of Canada met not long ago to sign a water treaty that would make it so they would collectively never agree to allow the fresh water of the Great Lakes be pumped out and sent elsewhere. Nice! Huh? Well, maybe it’s time for the governors of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado to do the same with OUR water. If those states and provinces can claim the Great Lakes are theirs, why one earth is it any different for we of the Rocky Mountain West? It’s our water folks, not yours. And where you all come of thinking you’re entitled to it is a complete and utter mystery any more that you would be entitled to the Great Lakes Water. If our ancestors had been smart, they would have damed up all the water in our states and trickled it to you for a price. But they had no idea what was to come or that generations down the road you’d all believe this was YOUR water. I suggest you sincerely think about being nicer to us and being more grateful, and not wasting a drop of OUR water on anything. You want to live in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere, that’s your choice, but in no way are you even remotely entitled to any of our water.
Its stupid and idiotic comments, such as these, are the reason I cannot and will not vote for John McCain. If this is what Conservatism has become (a.k.a. Neo-Conservatism,) I want no part.
My votes going to Bob Barr, and the Libertarian Party this year.
So, how are they going to develop oil shale in western
CO if they want to send more water downstream to AZ and CA? How much gals/day of Colorado River water is diverted to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles?
McSame sounds more communist than Obama if he think he can take water that isn’t his.
This illustrates for you all just how “Good ol’ boy” McBush is.
And just so we’re clear, that means that he will owe some biiiig favors to the guys that helped him get elected (should we be so stupid).
Guys like Karl Rove, and George Bush, Dick Cheney, not to mention a litany of CORPORATE LOBBYISTS.
THAT is what we mean when we call him “McBush”.
He is going to get into office and have soooo many people we don’t want running our country ANY MORE insisting it’s “payback time”.
Then he’ll have to deal with a heavily Democratic Senate and House…He’ll be crippled to do anything and what he does do won’t even be his agenda.
It will be his Cronies agenda!!
So, Go McBush!! Can’t wait for more McRove!!
Petch Petch took the words out of my mouth. Maybe Arizona wouldn’t need so much water if there weren’t so many dumbasses building water-hogging golf courses in the desert.
I stated I was voting for Ron Paul because I feared that if I only stated my opinion I would be mislabeled as a McCain Supporter. Also, Tennessee and Georgia are currently in talks to renegotiate the rights to the water flowing through the Tennessee river. So this is not a solitary case by any means.
These issues will only increase over time…News of a tough choice being faced on climate change decision making in Australia’s Murray-Darling River right now
ToughChoices
Water issues are always simmering, especially in the West. A similar gaffe by Bill Richardson lost my support for his bid. Peak water is just around the corner, and unless we have solid, serious and proactive discussions and policies, water rich states will have politically powerful states putting big straws.
This is already happening between Las Vegas and Utah. Look for more to come.
Making this even more urgent is the idea of “selling” and privatizing water, recently mentioned by Mr. Pickens in Texas, and in a recent ludicous article in the Oregonian.
It is time to stop off the cuff remarks, and put water at the top of the priority list.