Any and all veterans, send us an email at behindthecurtain@seattletimes.com. We want to talk swift boats.
Now, a very busy morning.
The fallout for Christine Gregoire has begun. Janet Tu and Ralph Thomas report:
"African-American leaders yesterday denounced Attorney General Christine Gregoire for the role she played more than 30 years ago in a college sorority that barred women who were not white. Gregoire, a Democratic candidate for governor, was a member of Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Washington in the late 1960s."
"Gregoire's campaign responded yesterday by sending out a statement from two African-American supporters defending her actions at Kappa Delta and her record in fighting discrimination. The statement, from former state lottery directory Merritt Long and Walter Hubbard, chairman of the state personnel appeals board, painted Mack's remarks as divisive and inappropriate. 'Gregoire has opposed discrimination while standing up for civil rights and equal rights throughout her career,' they said."
Warren Cornwall continues his profiles of candidates for the 8th congressional district, being vacated by the departing Jennifer Dunn. Today, it's Dave Reichert, the county sheriff who spent ten years on the Green River Killer investigation and was the public face of the department when Gary Ridgway was caught and convicted.
"His religious faith is evident in campaign appearances, and it informs some of his positions on social issues: He is opposed to gay marriage and to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest or when the woman's health is at stake. 'All glory and honor to God. I am his servant, and so are all of you, and that's why we will win,' Reichert told the audience at his campaign kickoff."
Yet another politician who thinks God's rooting for him in political race. When will one say, "God is not on my side, but I'm going to win anyway."
More: "After graduating with an associate's degree in social work from Concordia College in Portland, the high-school football quarterback with modest academic achievements opted to strap on a gun and join the King County department. Twenty-five years later, King County Executive Ron Sims, a Democrat, chose Reichert to lead the department. 'Dave kept popping up as one of the candidates that other people respected and admired,' Sims recalled recently. 'I don't regret at all my appointment of Dave as sheriff.'"
The National Sheriffs' Association recently named him sheriff of the year, though he was not endorsed by the state's police unions.
He's clashed with the County Council. "In the most recent showdown, over a last-minute request for money to offset costs from the Ridgeway investigation, Reichert suggested that county leaders had put politics ahead of crime-fighting. 'For twenty years, there were some county officials who believed that these girls and young women did not deserve justice,' he wrote in a letter to County Councilman Larry Phillips, a Democrat.
The letter drew an indignant response from Phillips, now the council chairman, who called Reichert's claims 'insulting.' The council didn't approve the additional money."
"Phillips and Reichert also have sparred over whether the sheriff has kept his own financial house in order. The county in 2003 paid $7 million to settle a lawsuit by Sheriff's Office employees over delays in overtime pay."
"Asked whether he was tough enough for Congress, Reichert pointed to the back cover of the recent book about his work on the Green River case. It shows him in a short-sleeve shirt, his biceps bulging and a slightly menacing look on his face. 'What do you think?' he asked."
Doug Merlino reports on the library levy voters will decide on: "King County Library System officials, who saw voters reject a bond measure 1-1/2 years ago to fund maintenance and improvements, say they have learned from that failure and are making sure voters know exactly what's at stake with the new proposal on the Sept. 14 ballot. The $172 million measure would provide money for what officials call necessary maintenance and expansion of the busy library system."
Rudy Giuliani was in town for a motivational speech with the likes of Dick Vitale, Goldie Hawn and Zig Ziglar (there's really a guy with such a name, and he's apparently quite a motivator.) While here, the mayor helped Rep. George Nethercutt, running for senate against Sen. Patty Murray, raise $100,000.
Jim Brunner: "At the news conference, Giuliani did not go into detail about Nethercutt's record or that of his opponent, Murray, a Democrat. Instead, he praised Nethercutt's general support for President Bush and the war on terrorism. He noted that Nethercutt voted for the war in Iraq, which Murray opposed, and said the United States must be 'on offense' against terrorists around the world. 'That is really the best answer to security, to have both an offense and a defense, not just a defense. George Nethercutt understands that,' Giuliani said.
The theme of the Giuliani appearance was in line with Nethercutt's recent efforts to portray Murray as soft on defense."
"(Nethercutt radio) ads say Murray 'led the effort to cut the president's Coast Guard budget' in 2002. Nethercutt's campaign said Murray, as chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, pushed a budget that provided $121 million less than the president had requested. However, that claim left out $300 million from the Defense Department budget that Murray's committee also recommended go toward the Coast Guard. The total budget approved by the Senate committee for the Coast Guard was $179 million more than Bush had requested and $11 million more than the Republican-led House had requested."
The image of the day was the mayor and his entourage (big entourage, including a 300-pound house who looked straightouta Brooklyn) walking through the hall of the Fairmont Hotel, and Nethercutt trailing about ten feet behind.
Emily Hefter profiles the three Republicans running against Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, none of whom is going to win, even though it's a fairly split district if you're counting D's and R's.
"Glenn Coggeshell of Camano Island is running against Larsen in part because, according to his Web site, Larsen's votes reveal 'seeded hatred against Christians and religion.'"
The most legitimate candidate is a county auditor.
Up in Everett, Hefter profiles the race for the 38th Legislative District, position 1.
The incumbent Dem, John McCoy, has a primary; the Republican has been endorsed by a Boeing union, which is a bit unusual.
Hefter also profiles the 38th position 2 primary race. "Incumbent David Simpson and challenger Mike Sells are familiar with Everett. Simpson is a former city councilman and a Boeing customer engineer. Sells is a former U.S. history teacher and a labor leader who works for the Snohomish County Labor Council."
Alaska
As expected Sen. Lisa Murkowski and former Gov. Tony Knowles won the Alaska primary for the senate race there.
Murkowski was appointed to the senate seat by her father, the governor. Alaska is heavily Republican, but Democrats think they can pick up a seat with the former governor going against a nepotism-tainted incumbent.
National
The swift boat business continues. Washington Post: The Bush campaign's chief outside counsel resigned after acknowledging he was providing legal advice to the anti-Kerry swift boat group.
Whoops.
The Bush campaign had denied connections between their campaigns and the anti-Kerry group.
And, turns out, Vice President Cheney's a moderate!
Washington Post: "Vice President Cheney spelled out his differences with President Bush on the volatile issue of gay marriage Tuesday while making his most revealing public comments so far about the sexual orientation of his gay daughter.
Asked his position on the subject at a town hall meeting here, Cheney replied: 'Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. . . . With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People . . . ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to.' Cheney went on to reiterate the position he first outlined in the 2000 campaign -- that same-sex marriage should be left to the states to decide. He noted, however, that Bush has endorsed a constitutional amendment preventing the states from recognizing such marriages."
Does this mean Bush has kissed off his base? Uh, no.
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