Washington: Chris Gregoire

Gov. Chris Gregoire is looking for ways to veto language in the two-year state operating budget that would spare some of the $29 million that otherwise would be cut from the state auditor’s performance audit budget.

State Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, at first wanted to suspent the half-percent for art program for 2 years to save about $6 million. There was too much resistance to that, so he settled for an amendment to the state capital budget, one that would have limited public art contracts only to Washington residents.

On Friday, Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed that, too. Hobbs said he agrees with The Guv most of the time, but not this time.

“This veto establishes the public arts program as a sacred cow at a time when vital state services are being slashed and people are losing their jobs," Hobbs said.

In its story on the possible retirement of David Souter from the U.S. Supreme Court, the New York Times ventures into heavy speculation on President Obama's first appointment.

No sources are listed but the reporters suggest that since Obama once praised former California Gov. Earl Warren's service on the Supreme Court that he might be looking at a politician rather than a legal expert.

"During the campaign, Mr. Obama spoke of his admiration of former Chief Justice Earl M. Warren, citing as a special virtue his practical political experience as a former governor of California. If Mr. Obama were to look to a political figure with a strong legal background, he could turn to an old friend, Deval Patrick, now the Massachusetts governor, Christine Gregoire, governor of Washington, or Jennifer M. Granholm, governor of Michigan."

Let the speculation begin.

Suzan DelBene, the first declared Democratic candidate for Washington's eighth congressional district (WA-08), announced yesterday in an email to supporters that she is hiring several people to fill key positions in her campaign.

DelBene's campaign manager will be Kelly Evans, who successfully led Chris Gregoire's reelection effort last year and served as the campaign manager in the fights against both Initiative 912 (2005) and Initiative 933 (2006).

DelBene's media consultant will be Dan Kully, of Laguens Kully Klose. Like Evans, Kully was part of the teams that helped defeat Initiatives 912 and 933. He put together Darcy Burner's media last cycle, and was responsible for the widely praised ads that helped propel Jon Tester to victory in Montana in 2006.