For Old Times’ Sake

Ever get nostalgic for the 2004 Colorado US Senate race? It played a big part in putting the Rocky Mountain Alliance on the map. Time marches on in the political world, and those who were the fodder for such discussion less than a year ago have moved on in their endeavors. It’s kind of like skimming through your high school yearbook and wondering, “Where are they now?”

While the new Senator Ken Salazar has been hard at “bipartisan” work on Capitol Hill pulling weight for new Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and urging a block to funding of Army chemical transportation studies, some of the other political actors from the recent campaign season have popped into the news today.

Salazar’s Republican challenger Peter Coors, fresh off the merger of the family brewer with Canadian-based Molson, is being considered for the job as ambassador to our Northern neighbors. Ironically, it was Coors’ inability to recognize the Canadian Prime Minister’s name in a debate with fellow Republican Bob Schaffer that made the headlines last summer. Were he to be chosen as ambassador to Canada, I’m sure Pete Coors would be able to share a big laugh over the whole matter at dinner some night with Paul Martin.

Meanwhile, Salazar’s erstwhile pesky Democrat rival – and Colorado’s own mini-Howard Dean – Mike Miles just learned last night that he won’t be the next superintendent of the Poudre School District in Fort Collins. Not Senator. Not Superintendent. I’m not sure where else the current administrator for Fountain-Fort Carson schools should look for career advancement.

Last but not least, the Post’s Dan Haley in his Monday column gives the following report on Coors’ Republican challenger in last year’s Senate primary:

Former Congressman Bob Schaffer‘s busy schedule has some GOP tongues wagging, thinking he might be running for governor.

Every week in January, he appeared before some Republican group – a lot of handshaking for someone who insists he has no immediate campaign plans.

Instead, he’s on an election post-mortem tour, telling anyone who will listen what went wrong, and what went right, for the GOP. One interesting note: he ticks off all the conservatives who won national races, and includes Sen. Ken Salazar. Schaffer says all Colorado Democrats ran as conservatives, and the GOP lacked the credentials, skill and will to push them back to the left.

Haley’s column is also noteworthy for its mention of the RMA.

So… does this all interest you in taking a walk down memory lane? The 2004 Senate election – boy, those were the days!