Wadhams makes his mark on Senate race...

Colorado Pols has this one exactly right. Smart move to take the controversial issue of drilling on the Roan Plateau off the table in the U.S. Senate race between Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer. It eliminates an issue that Udall would have been able to use to peel off Western Slope Republican's from Schaffer. In addition it allows Schaffer to stake himself out as independent from Bush as the Bureau of Land Management has already come out in support of drilling on the Roan.

Relevant reporting from the Denver Post,

Voters looking for ways to choose between the Republican and Democratic candidates for Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat will likely be able to choose from a wide range of issues that divide the two, but the Roan Plateau won't be one of them.

Republican candidate Bob Schaffer came out Wednesday in support of Gov. Bill Ritter's compromise plan for surface drilling in the area, lining up with Democratic members of the state's delegation and potentially against the position of the man he hopes to succeed, Sen. Wayne Allard.

"Bob Schaffer supports the Ritter compromise proposal that Gov. Ritter, to his credit, laid out several months ago and in view of the action by BLM this week believes it should be legislatively enacted before this Congress ends," said Schaffer's campaign manager, Dick Wadhams.

The move puts little space between Schaffer and Democratic opponent Mark Udall on an issue that has come to shape a contentious debate between preservation and energy exploration - and one that has riveted the attention of western Colorado for nearly five years.

The Western Slope is seen by both sides as key to winning in November...