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David Castillo is an interesting guy. Raised in Southwest Washington by a single mom in less than prosperous circumstances, he grew up to serve in the US Navy, attend the University of Washington and Gonzaga University, work in state government and serve in the Bush administration, ultimately becoming a financial advisor.
Now, he’s on yet another path-- one that could lead him to Congress. Running in a potentially packed field to succeed outgoing Rep. Brian Baird, Castillo...

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Well, it's about damned time:
Congressional negotiators and White House officials are moving forward with plans to add the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell to the upcoming defense authorization bill, Democratic sources tell the Huffington Post.
In Congress, members are being whipped to ensure that the votes will be there for passage, should the legislation be placed in the bill. At this juncture, aides say, the prospects look good. Meanwhile, a source close to the White House says...

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If you haven't checked it out already, please take a moment to visit the Daily Caller, which launched this morning.  Several "Friends of Liz" are involved with the new publication, and you know, Tim Pawlenty (a Hynes Communications client) has an op-ed over there and stuff, so go check it out.  Here are some suggestions for things you might start by reading. 
This concludes today's word-of-mouth-advertising-by-blog session.

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Over the last 48 hours, I've had a number of discussions with political operatives in Washington State regarding Gov. Christine Gregoire. Word on the street in the Evergreen State is that she is actively seeking a new job, specifically in the Obama administration, which would enable her to resign her office and move on to better and brighter things.
As previously discussed at this blog, Gregoire would have good reason to be looking to ditch the governorship. Washington is facing a...

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It's a general rule in America that if you get convicted of a felony and are given a sentence that involves time in prison, you don't get to vote from your jail cell. But yesterday, it turns out, a federal appeals court ruled that Washington State's ban on incarcerated felons voting violates the Voting Rights Act because it disenfranchises minority voters.
The ban is contained in Article IV of the Washington Constitution, which bars people convicted of "infamous crime" from voting until...

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Not to diminish Andrey Arshavin's goal today (which was pretty sweet), but ultimately, without Glen Johnson, Arsenal wouldn't have actually won.  Here's to you, Glen!  Thanks a bunch, dude!


 

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Man Utd   0 - 1   Aston Villa.

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On Wednesday, Democratic congressman Brian Baird, who is currently in his sixth term representing Washington’s Third District, announced that he would not seek re-election in 2010.
It was a move that immediately kicked off a flurry of speculation, specifically because his statement regarding his retirement offered no explanation, express or implied, as to why he would not be seeking re-election, noting simply that:
“The time has now come to pursue other options, other...

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Here's a shocking piece of news for you, out of the Evergreen State. Gov. Chris Gregoire, she of the magical 33% approval rating, appears dead set on sending the same plummeting through the floor, to less-popular-than-Dick-Cheney type levels. How so, you ask?
Well, today, she's basically announced that she's going to be seeking... wait for it... a big, fat tax hike!

See, Washington under Gregoire's leadership has gone from a pretty sound fiscal situation under Gary Locke...

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Via Marc Ambinder, it seems that there's a little poking-fun email circulating among White House staffers focused on Politico's shortcomings as a publication. It doesn't sound to me like there's a full-on war being waged by the White House Comms staff against it, just a bit of innocent teasing, but still, there's obviously some disgruntlement or at least bemusement, including apparently about the fact that Politico might be "more obsessed with personality than policy."
Look, every...

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