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Monday, November 26, 2007
Chambliss: There’ll be a Lott more fighting next year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.), the No. 2 Republican in the U.S. Senate, announced Monday that he’ll retire by January and that’s likely to spark an all out political brawl in Mississippi next year, Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) predicted.
“I suspect it’ll be a dog fight in Mississippi to replace him,” Chambliss told reporters during a conference call about his latest trip to Iraq.
(Michael Vick alert: That’s only a figure of speech. You’re not missing anything.)
Lott is the sixth Republican senator to call it quits at a time when Democrats effectively hold a 51-49 majority in the senate. But Chambliss said Mississippi’s conservative character and close ties to the military could prevent a Democrat from stealing Lott’s seat.
“Chances for us to retain that seat,” Chambliss said, “seem pretty good.”
We fire up the ‘way-back machine: What would happen if, in 1988, someone decided that Georgia needed a few more reservoirs? Nothing.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just in case you still might be clinging to the thought that Georgia’s case of dry mouth was created in a day:
On Nov. 2, 1988, a body called the Growth Strategies Commission gave its final report to the man who ordered it up — Gov. Joe Frank Harris.
Members of the commission, headed up by Joel Cowan, included many who would rise to great influence, legislators like Roy Barnes, Johnny Isakson, Lauren “Bubba” McDonald, Calvin Smyre, and Larry Walker.
Among the commission’s recommendations was legislation to empower the state Department of Natural resources to construct and manage a series of reservoirs with $11 million in bonds.
A faithful reader recently dug out a copy of the Growth Strategies report out of some old files. Water was the commission’s No. 4 priority. Transportation was No. 3. Education was No. 1.
Here’s what was said about water:
The availability of water will be a major constraining factor of future growth, especially in North Georgia. The solution is to build regional reservoirs.
Because of severe financial restraints, local governments do not take full advantage of existing programs to develop reservoirs and often plan reservoirs that impound less water than is possible and meet only short-term needs.
Since a limited number of sites for large reservoirs is available, the Growth Strategies Commission is recommending the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) be given responsibility for the acquisition, construction, financing and managing of regional reservoirs.
In the long run, those who benefit from those facilities should bear the cost. Both the capital and operating costs would be recouped through user fees paid by communities contracting for impounded water.
These facilities would supplement smaller “community” reservoirs[,] which could still be built by one or more local communities.
Any local government wanting to contract for water impounded by the regional reservoirs would be required to have an approved water conservation plan already in place.
Local and regional involvement, through the three-tiered planning process, is essential. The new regional development centers would advise DNR on reservoir sites, help local governments develop watershed protection and water conservation plans, and develop regional plans on these issues.
Local reservoir boards, drawn from regional development center boards, would advise DNR on the setting of feeds and general management of each reservoir.
Nearly 20 years later, of course, none of this has happened.
Not to say that a reservoir system was the only boat Georgia missed. The same report calls for the preservation of rail services and corridors to “ensure the feasibility of future commuter and inter-urban mass transit systems.”
More rumor-killing: Michael Coles says he’s got no interest in a U.S. Senate race
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just got off the phone with Michael Coles, the wealthy Atlanta businessman who until a few weeks ago was CEO of Caribou Coffee.
Coles, 63, said he has no interest in jumping into the Democratic primary effort to oust U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss next year.
“I have no plans to do it. I just basically stepped out of the position that I had, and I’m looking at a lot of opportunities, but I can honestly say that that’s not one of them,” Coles said.
“I’ve had a lot of people call me and ask me about running, and I’ve given them all the same answer — which is, at this point, I’m not even thinking about it,” he said.
Coles’ name is mentioned whenever Democratic insiders dream of a self-funding candidate who could jump into the race against Chambliss.
Coles made his first million or so as the founder of the Great American Cookie Co. — and then developed a taste for politics. In 1996, he ran against U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In 1998, he ran against U.S. Sen. Paul Coverdell.
After five years, Coles resigned as CEO of Caribou in early November, and is reportedly in line for a $1.4 million severance package.
But Coles said he’s limiting his political activity to raising money for Hillary Clinton — he held a fund-raiser for her at his Buckhead home last May. He said he’s got no intention of getting involved in party activities on a state level.
Reading tea leaves: the F-22 program may be healthier than it looks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DefenseNews.com is reporting that Lockheed’s F-22 is likely to expand despite an attempt to cap the expensive program at 183 stealth fighters.
The web site noted a line in the 2008 Defense Appropriations Act saying that members of Congress “believe the Air Force should consider extending the current F-22 multiyear procurement contract.”
The Marietta-built F-22 was intended to replace the aging F-15, which makes this line relevant:
“The case for more F-22s was bolstered Nov. 3 when the Air Force grounded its entire fleet of 676 F-15s after one of them broke apart during a training flight by a Missouri Air National Guard pilot.”
Not a good thing.
The article says Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss are two of six U.S. senators who have written the deputy secretary of defense, calling on him to make public three Pentagon studies that conclude the Air Force needs more of the planes.
