Readers will know I was back in Seattle just over a week ago and met with various local Republican leaders, consultants, activists, etc., while there.

One of the things I kept hearing in the course of some of those meetings, incidentally, was that if Rossi got in, yes, Clint Didier would almost certainly step out, though he might not say so, per se.

Now, it appears that that's not the situation-- or, if you want to read this in the most cynical possible light, at least that Didier doesn't want his supporters to think he will step out, thus halting donations, until he knows for sure whether Rossi is running or not (and presumably, in this scenario, Didier thinks he's not). From Didier's statement:

"I don't know Dino Rossi personally. But I do know he is part of the Republican establishment – all you have to do is look at those he surrounds himself with. I don't believe he's the conservative people think he is. If people want more of the same, the McCain or Bush type of governing, then they can support Dino. If they want the change they missed the last time, then they can support me," Didier said.

The P-I has a post up this morning about Suzan DelBene attacking Rep. Dave Reichert over his leadership on economic policy and sounding remarkably pro-business for a Democrat. In fact, a lot of what DelBene has to say is completely unobjectionable from my perspective, and indeed constitutes good policy. Here are some examples:

Among DelBene's goals:

- Making the Research and Development tax credit permanent, something she said would help local tech companies.

- Expand tax deductions for start-ups.

[...]

- Modernizing the patent system to ensure that applications are considered in a more timely manner.

[...]

- Increasing funding for community college for low-income students and workers who've been laid off.

But surprisingly, that DelBene has some sensible ideas such as these is not the really important point to note about her arising from the piece. No, that's actually buried right at the bottom: DelBene supports the institution of an income tax in Washington:

Asked about perhaps the biggest measure that will be on the fall ballot, DelBene said she was supportive of Bill Gates Sr.'s Initiative 1077, which would create an income tax for the wealthy to pay for education and health care. "I think he's trying to do the right thing. I think he's trying to address our very regressive tax system and create something that's more fair."...

It's been a couple of weeks since I last wrote about the Washington Senate race and the presumed forthcoming matchup between Sen. Patty Murray and Dino Rossi. But suffice to say, that doesn't mean that there's been no action out there in the political world designed to impact the race. Quite the opposite, in fact: As the AP notes, last week, Democrats put out a major hit on Rossi. However, what the AP fails to note is the true essence of the hit in question: A major league own-goal, by virtually any rational standards. It seems that once again, Democrats eager to deter Rossi from entering the race against Murray have dished up some opposition research that does not even remotely pass the smell test, which should earn them a big, fat "F" from any fact-checker willing to objectively assess the quality of their material. In actual fact, the quality of this hit on Rossi is so bad that if I were a reporter covering this race (and the target of DSCC oppo-shopping), I would put a hold on using any research provided to me by the DSCC indefinitely-- because it's further evidence that their eagerness to pre-emptively take down Rossi is clouding their ability to do pretty basic homework that in my own personal assessment anyone with a year of law school under their belt should be able to manage with ease.

Here's the essence of the hit:

"Dino Rossi's firm has a $20,000 tax problem" (this is per DSCC spokeswoman Deirdre Murphy)....