According to an email we got from the Washington State Democrats today, the state's Attorney General, Rob McKenna, laid out a plan for Dino Rossi to beat Christine Gregoire in November for state delegates at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota. In short, according to McKenna, McCain-Palin needs to carry Washington by 10-12 points. "If he fails to carry it by ten or twelve points, Dino doesn't win." Maybe it's scary thoughts like that which......

Throughout the campaign we have been gathering the top political writers in the country, and asking them to discuss the presidential race. Today they discuss the Democratic National Convention. Seattlest: Thank you for taking some time off in Denver to speak with us. What are your impressions of the convention so far? Tom (The Wall Street Journal): First off, there's an EDWARD Kennedy? Where has this asshole been hiding?! Mark (CBS News): I had the......

Tonight in Denver, Barack Obama will make history by becoming the first man in over three and a half years to accept the Democratic Party’s nomination for President. Here is everything you need to know about tonight. •The speech will take place at the 75,000 seat INVESCO Field at Mile High, where the Seahawks are 1-0 all time, beating the Broncos 23-20 in 2006. •The speech should start sometime between 6:45 and 7:00 p.m. (ish).......

THAT'S FUNNY, BITCHES: Chris Rock is one of those people who can just stand there and we'll laugh. But when he opens his mouth, forget it. We kind of laugh so hard we can't even hear what he's saying half the time, cycling through our various laughs from chuckle to cackle and snort. So you're probably glad we won't be at the Paramount tonight for his show. We'd just distract everything, and he'd probably make......

Oh those wacky Republicans in Snohomish County. Geri Modrell, the chairwoman of the Snohomish Republican Party, has issued an apology after some GOP volunteers at the Evergreen State Fair sold racist $3 bills (available at conservative websites everywhere!) "depicting Sen. Barack Obama in traditional Arab headgear with a camel." Good one, guys. He's a Secret Muslim A-Rab devil, who goes by "Da Man," and he's got Ted Kennedy as his "Chief Socialism Advisor" and......

Courtesy of local politics blogger extraordinaire Goldy at HorsesAss comes a YouTube video of the Washington delegates at the DNC when Michelle Obama takes the stage. We knew we weren't the only person who got teary or swelled up with pride during the speech, and it looks like Governor Gregoire was excited from the get-go...listen to that hooting and hollering!......

Those who can't wait for Husky basketball season, so they can heckle Oregon State, might want to tune in to tonight’s Democratic Convention. The Beaver’s new men’s basketball coach, Craig Robinson, will be taking the stage to address those gathered in Denver. This isn’t part of the Democrats plan to win the hearts and mind of Corvallis’ men’s winter amateur indoor sports fans, Robinson is Barack Obama's brother-in-law, having spent time in the same womb......

Did you get a text message? Because we signed up for the damned text, and got nothing. Thank God for our internet addiction, though, because we got it from CNN.com as soon as we got home from being out. Obama chose Biden. We can all exhale. McCain's statment was: "There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden." And now back to local news.........

Seattlest woke up this morning to an email from the Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council of the Democratic National Committee, announcing a cocktail party to raise money for Barack Obama's Victory Fund. The special guests? Grey's Anatomy's Ellen Pompeo and Justin Chambers. (Was T.R. Knight unavailable?) If you want to get some froofy drinks and partake of what will surely be yummy hors d'oeuvres, and you've got an extra $250-$10,000 you can afford to just......

Throughout the campaign we have been gathering the top political writers in the country, and asking them to discuss the presidential race. Today they discuss the media’s role in American politics. Seattlest: How do you feel the media has covered this year’s campaign? Jeff (NPR): I'm still waiting for the shoe to drop on the media's coverage of the anointed one, Barack Obama. He's like a perfect storm of taboo topics. I remember watching Daily......

With the Mariners taking the rest of the summer off, Seattlest (along with some other local rag) is adopting the Chicago White Sox as our fake team for the rest of the season. This became official with last week’s trade of Ken Griffey Jr (number 17?!?!). Griffey, who last played in a playoff game on October 5, 1997, is now only half a game back in the AL Central. Plus the White Sox are totally......

Today was kind of a rough news day here in Seattle. Even Jesus Obama let us down a little bit today by announcing he's going to expand Bush's faith based programs. Meanwhile, California's talking about letting everyone have pot, whereas our own local officials are limiting the access even sick people get to good weed in Washington. Before we pack it up and head home for the day, we figured we'd put it to you......

The PI's Big Blog floated the rumor yesterday that Washington's own "mom in tennis shoes," Patty Murray, could become Obama's running mate. We did a double take and wondered if someone had spiked our morning coffee. While Murray has been a successful legislator for Washington State, she was a fierce Hillary supporter until throwing her support behind Obama on Sunday. She doesn't add what Obama needs to the ticket anyway. By noon yesterday, Murray's......

Photo by Anthony Macaluso/AnimalNY Gothamist was shocked when someone scaled the 52-story New York Times building's exterior on Thursday. And then Gothamist was shocked again when a second person scaled the building six hours later. Shanghaiist was amused by a wild and wacky publicity stunt by a Chinese acupuncturist who stuck 2,008 needles in his head to welcome the Olympics.Torontoist featured dozens of dramatic photos from Newmindspace's downtown pillow fight.Phillyist encouraged its readers to......

Photos Courtesy of the AP The Amanda Knox case, similar to Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination, seems to be never-ending. It boggles the mind how Knox still sits uncharged in an Italian jail while evidence continues to build that she is likely innocent. Just like the Hillary campaign, the Italian police seem to be continuously denying the most recent evidence and plodding on the course they planned to take all along: Hillary......

">Throughout the campaign we have been gathering the top political writers in the country, and asking them to discuss the presidential race. Today they discuss the end of the Democratic primary, Senator Clinton's future, and a brief look at the general. Seattlest: It's been a very eventful week, with Senator Obama wrapping up the nomination and Senator Clinton set to end her campaign, where do you see the race going now? Ryan (Time Magazine): Finally.......

This whole thing started way back on January 3, a gray, rainy winter day with a high of 47. Now, six months later in the heat of a gray, rainy summer day with a high close to 60, it will come to an end. Remember how all those states moved their primary/caucus dates up so they would be important, how did that work there, Florida/Michigan? Senator Obama has rented out the 20,000 seat Xcel......

We'll be the first to admit Hillary Clinton's embarrassing statement last week (and other occasions), when she recalled RFK's assassination in June of 1968 as an example of things that can happen late in a campaign. We all know there's a possibility the first viable black presidential candidate could get shot. It's been talked about and analyzed and discussed (and, yes, joked about by the other party). But, somehow, to hear another Democratic candidate......

With Oregon and Kentucky going to the polls today, Obama ready to take over an even clearer lead in pledged delegates, and Hillary poised to trounce him in whiteland, there's a lot of discussion on the interwebs about whether or not Hillary's supporters will get behind Obama when it's all said and done. It's a valid question. Obama is an eloquent intellectual who hasn't bothered to pander to the under-educated, under-paid among us. As......

Only a few more states now. Tonight Kentucky and our downstairs roommate Oregon will have their voice spun. Wouldn't candidates save a whole bunch of time, money, and fuel if primaries were held geographically? Plus the media could label each night like they do with the Potomac Primary. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho could be Sasquatch Saturday. Senator Clinton should take the Bluegrass State for certain reasons, and Senator Obama will win Oregon for other......

Obama in Portland, Ore. at a record-setting rally on Sunday. (Courtesy of the AP) Portland, Oregon showed it was truly Obama country during a rally on Sunday, where an estimated 75,000 people showed up to hear the candidate speak at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, on the bank of the Willamette River. The photos of Obama--an ant amidst a sea of people--must be sending chills down the Clinton campaign's collective spine. The 75,000 strong crowd doubled......

The latest endorsement may not be on a John Edwards scale. But, in such a tightly contested race, every endorsement (especially one from a superdelegate) is a victory worth celebrating. Washington Representative and superdelegate Jim McDermott announced his support of Barack Obama today. McDermott told the Seattle P-I that he is supporting Obama because he is "confident as president he will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home." McDermott......

Once again political pundits say that Hillary Clinton has to win either Indiana or North Carolina or it’s curtains for her--same as it ever was. As the race has turned to the "blue collar" states, we are being attacked more because we drink lattes, are more likely to drive a Volvo than a truck, and don't buy clothes at Wal-Mart. We've heard these attacks before, from those on the right, and understand why the......

Last week Seattlest sent us down to North Carolina to find out how people in that crucial state feel about Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and being the focus of the national media. During our forty-five minute lay-over at Charlotte's Douglas Airport, we spoke with people of all races, ages, and height. At "The Official NASCAR Gift Shop," a young Caucasian woman named Sally was neatly stacking hats. Was she one of the many Democratic voters......

Thank the sweet lord that the Pennsylvania Primary is finally here. In the six weeks since Barack Obama won Vermont, we've been forced to deal with the worst of what American political campaigns have to offer. Seriously, you folks in Western Pennsylvania want to talk about bitterness, just get any Seahawk fan started on the Super Bowl against your Steelers. We’ll see your guns and religion, and raise you clinging to the game’s officiating.......

__ Get outside and enjoy the sudden burst of (can it be?) spring-like weather. __ Check out Grey Gallery once and for all. __ Maybe go to Dick's, because we're eating meat now and will need to sop up our Grey Gallery drinks with something. Okay, Dick's or Quinn's. __ Watch Hillary Clinton kick and punch her way back into this race via another presidential debate (8 p.m. on KOMO 4). __ Watch Syesha,......

...if you're heading to the next round of caucuses this Sunday. We can't think of any local angle on this, but it's important to share this kind of information with our readers when we find it. Because, let's face it, stuff like this can sway voters, folks. (NSFW, unless you have headphones):......

Like our esteemed editor, we also acted as a delegate at our precinct caucus yesterday, the 36th District Caucus at Ballard High School. It should be noted that we're one of those political junkies you hear so much about so, hangover not withstanding, we were looking forward to the chance to mill about with a bunch of other rabid Democrats to prepare for the unseating of the worst President ever. As an Obama delegate, we......

Yesterday morning, we got up around 6:30 a.m., and headed to Lincoln/Garfield High School in Wallingford to check people into the 43rd Legislative District Caucus for the Hillary campaign. Once everyone was checked in, we corralled into the auditorium, where we listened to a few hours of question/answer (a lot of people talking about whether or not you should switch your vote), a few speeches, some time-killing jokes (??), and the surrogates for each......

Tomorrow is the day that the delegates and alternates we elected in last month's caucuses will get together and go through the whole thing all over again. Wheeeee! You don't have to be a delegate or alternate to attend, so if you're as transfixed with the process as we are, feel free to show up. If you don't know where to go, you can find your legislative district caucusing location here. It starts at......