It has just not been Jim McDermott's week. First, the story breaks that he unintentionally toured Baghdad on Saddam's dime. Now, he has been ordered to a pay a political rival's legal fees. The legal squabble between House Minority Leader John Boehner and McDermott has lasted a decade and stems from a clandestinely taped telephone conversation that was leaked to the press. Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that McDermott acted improperly when he......

According to federal prosecutors, Washington State representative Jim McDermott's 2002 trip to Iraq was secretly financed by Saddam Hussein's intelligence agency. McDermott, a strong opponent of the war in Iraq, traveled to the country in October 2002 with two other democratic representatives. The trip occurred during the zenith of President Bush's push for the war, while McDermott and his fellow travelers urged for a diplomatic solution to be found. Yesterday, federal prosecutors outlined how......

While trolling through today's Floor Proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives for our other job (it's an exciting one), we noticed something that will probably get no coverage anywhere else. However, we think it is important to note when Congress singles out one faith as important. We think it's doubly important to note when the vote is taken while Congress fights with the Bush Administration over funding the government for the next year, haggles......

Right out of the gate we're going to D up on Jordan, pressure him a bit and maybe force a few turnovers. MARIA CANTWELL for U.S. Senate. And since we finally figured out how to beat the Bulls' fullcourt press we're going to get a lot of transition baskets from Payton driving to the hole and Sam Perkins from the arc. A pull-up jumper over Longley for JAY INSLEE for U.S. State Rep. A......

--You may be surprised to hear that Shaun Alexander's foot isn't completely healed and he won't play next week, but we aren't because we know that foot injuries don't fully heal until your favorite player starts kicking ass in the playoffs for someone else's team. --The Seattle Times proved it doesn't get the story of itself today when it buried this tidbit in an article about its sinking circulation: "But the NAA also said......

-Vista shipped today! Oh, wait, it's just their new Vista blog. Forget it. -Item: what "nasty dull rainy dark hell hole filled with dumb redneck simpletons" does a former Nirvana bassist call home? -Gluten-Free Girl let's loose with the longest explanation of the shortest tattoo we've ever seen. The tattoo reads, "yes." The explanation is here. -That libertarian guy who crashed King 5's senate debate between Cantwell and McGavick has a television commercial now.......

Went to this NetGreen thing today at Bergen Park in Ballard. Took the bus, even. Dozen or so "electeds" on hand (city, county, federal) with their attendant staffers. Lots of bikes. An electric Xebra Zapcar. Lots of self-congratulatory speeches. Did you know Seattle has an Office of Sustainability & Environment? Dude who runs it, Steve Nicholas, holds Master's from Harvard, no less. He's all up for this project, whatever it is. So's city councilman Richard......

-That weird storm earlier caused eighteen thousand cars to crash into each other on I-5 near the Thorn Lane exit. -Al Gore was on Jim McDermott's show this morning and the chances are good that this is a link to it. Apparently he was only on for a few minutes. -The state's Democratic convention begins today in Yakima but no way can it possibly be as entertaining as the Repbublican convention proved to be.......

Congressman Jim McDermott will be playing all the hits, sending out your long distance dedications, and generally getting the Led out all week. Tired of trying to make-out with Osama, Saddam, and the rest of those Al-Qaeda villains, Baghdad Jim will be hosting Dave Ross' weekly KIRO radio show while Ross is on vacation. One question you may want to ask McDermott, besides what exactly do you do for Seattle, is what should be done......

-Bombs Over Bahgdad Jim McDermott will be guest hosting on KIRO radio while Dave Ross is on vacation. -The man who built The End is resigning after 10 years on the job. "Effective immediately." Wow, with authority. -Whining parents are barred from the remainder of the public school closure panel's meetings as are the media. Man, you'd think their presence wasn't contructive somehow. -There! She voted with her party, alright. Would we just shut......

There is really no point to this post, except to let you once again read that Tom DeLay will be resigning from Congress. He will give up his seat and focus on being a martyr for the ignorant and easily duped. We have admitted many times before that we are not above schadenfreude, so this post should come as no surprise. Now please excuse us, as we stretch to add a local connection. (Ahem). This......

-As if enough people weren't already shot this week, Puyallup suffered a shooting this morning and two suspects are in custody. -Kyle Huff's apology letter to a Montana artist for attacking his installation with a shotgun is really weird. -REI announced that 20% of their electrical demands will soon be met by green power. Utter bullshit. REI should be using 100% renewable energy. Nice start, guys. Finally. -A Federal Appeals Court decided that Jim......

-A group of Seahawks players were attacked by an automated gate that struck the van they were riding in today, but luckily it was just a bunch of practice squad scrubs like Hasselbeck, Alexander, Hutchinson, Jones and Boulware instead of the team's stars. Everyone seems ok. -The P-I has an article about the NSA's listening post in Yakima and if you click on this link to it or even read these words you're bound......

Consider “The Other Washington”… Which one is it? Well, it’s a matter of perspective. For most of us Northwesterners, the phrase refers to our nation’s capitol, as in “those fat-cat politicos in the other Washington.” For much of the rest of the country, it refers to our fair state. (If memory serves, the tourism board had a slogan in the ‘80s, along the lines of “Visit America’s other Washington -- the state!”) This slight......

It may not be as desirable as hottest rock star wife or as prestigious as greatest novel, but our own Congressman Jim McDermott has been named the 38th worst American. In a new book by conservative author Bernard Goldberg the 100 worst Americans are ranked, from Michael Moore (number 1) to Hippie O'Flagburner (number 100). Goldberg told the AP that McDermott had made the list because of his visit to Baghdad in the fall......

Fans of progressive radio will want to tune in this afternoon between 12 and 3pm (you're late) for the Ed Schultz Show broadcast from Town Hall. If you had known about the event earlier you could have bought tickets to see it live and helped benefit First Place, but you already dropped the ball on that. Listen to AM 1090 to hear Ed talk to Governor Gregoire about her current trade mission (she'll be on......