Over at Only in New Mexico, former Albuquerque mayor Jim Baca comments today about the environmental review process that all of the Obama-funded stimulus projects will need to go through. Responding to the possibility that the environmental review may take up to two years, Ed Adams, the city’s chief administrative officer told the Journal this morning that the administration should streamline that process. Baca, a former state land commissioner and current New Mexico Resources Trustee, does not agree:

I can only assume that Ed Adams and the Mayor feel that skirting the laws that protect air, land and watersheds are worth filling city coffers with much needed cash. I am surprised by this since Marty has discovered that he gets good press by talking ‘green’ all the time. Maybe it really was just ‘greenwash.’ after all.

Dr. Jose Garcia, New Mexico State University (NMSU) professor and former Dem party chairman, gives gracias to those in whom he saw an “affirming flame” over the past year. They include:

Harry Teague, who showed us in the Mesquite forum he could fight, and who proved to us he would work, in his quiet, unassuming way, to earn our vote. Un brindis! Salud!

The Washington Post’s Chris Cilizza delves into the reasons why Caroline Kennedy would make a great replacement for Hillary Clinton in the Senate. They include name recognition, money, her religion:

The idea that a Kennedy — let alone the daughter of the first Catholic president of the United States — would make a stump stop in [Catholic enclaves such as] Buffalo or Schenectady would be enough to send many Catholics into a swoon. It’s hard to imagine any other candidate under consideration for the post evoking anywhere close to the same reaction.

But Politico’s Ben Smith says New York Gov. David Paterson isn’t doing any swooning:

Fred Dicker, The New York Post columnist whose sourcing is good enough that I’ve heard his Monday column referred to as “David Paterson’s blog” savages her today, with a column that makes a Palin comparison, calls one incident “pathetic,” and describes Paterson’s trip to Iraq with Reps. Steve Israel and Anthony Weiner as a kind of audition for [Rep. Israel].

Smith’s analysis also includes room for the idea that all this fuss is just Paterson showing he’s looking hard at all the options.

And if you’re really bored today, have a look at Slate’s Most Read Stories of 2008. Although the top story is about the election, the second hottest is about 95-year-old man with dementia who, much to the horror of his son, was caught in flagrante delicto with his 82-year-old girlfriend. Good stuff here!