For Gov. John Hickenlooper sticking his foot in his mouth comes as naturally as breathing.  It’s almost like he couldn’t survive if he didn’t do it at least once a week.

His latest misstep comes on the heels of his announcement about yet another commission that will focus on oil and gas issues. In an AP story August 6, Hickenlooper clearly states that the commission’s “success is dependent upon it ending in regulation.”

Now, Hick is trying to say he actually never said that.  Even though he said it on-the-record and in a room full of reporters.

Hick’s comments didn’t go over well with folks who believe that Colorado already has the most robust oil and gas regulations in the state.  Or with House Minority Leader Brian DelGrosso, R-Loveland, who believes that the commission should ask whether more regulations are even the answer in the first place. 

Maybe that’s why Hick is trying to back track or flip flop or whatever you want to call it these days.  Colorado Community Media explains:

According to the Associated Press, Hickenlooper said the task force’s “success is dependent upon it ending in regulation…”

…. Hickenlooper, in an interview with Colorado Community Media, insisted that’s not what he said, even though he made his comments in front of a group of reporters.

“What I said was legislation,” the governor said. “Go back and look at the quotes. I never said we needed more regulation. Now, we might. Again, this is the whole point of getting people from all the different viewpoints in the same room and letting them have a discussion in such a way to try to figure out: `Is there a compromise here?'” [Peak emphasis]

Come on, man, just own it already.  Didn’t your mother ever teach you that lying makes it so much worse in the end?