Brian Baird

Washington's Congressional delegation spoke out in favor of today's decision by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates' decision to re-open the bidding process for the Air Force KC-767 tankers. Airbus had won the initial contract, which would have cost the state's economy a significant amount of money, but the process was discovered to be flawed by the Government Accountability Office.

Representatives Brian Baird (D-03), Doc Hastings (D-04) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (D-05) have yet to speak on the matter. Links to and excerpts from the rest of the state's elected officials statements are below.

Washington's full delegation, with the exception of Rep. Brian Baird (D-Vancouver) spoke out on the Government Accountability Office's decision today to uphold the protest against the decision making process that led to a US Air Force tanker contract to go to Airbus over Boeing earlier this year.

The group unanimously celebrated the GAO's decision because of initial unfairness in the decision making process, and used their statements as an I-told-you-so to those who supported and helped usher the deal through.

"It has been clear all along that the process was flawed, as evidenced by the clear recommendations made by the GAO," said Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Auburn). "This is a great victory for Boeing, Washington state and every American who values our nation's economic and homeland security."

Read all available statements below the jump.

NAPAVINE -

According to banners hanging from every streetlight in town, Napavine is Tiger Country. But Saturday afternoon the local high school gymnasium, where the Tigers play basketball Delegates seek support at Napavine High School/Politicker Photoevery winter, was also home to the 3rd Congressional District Democratic caucus. At the caucus, five delegates, two males and three females, would be elected to the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer to elect the party's nominee.

But he delegate contest was not the day's only vote. With the advent of the state's "top two" primary that effectively ends the Party primary system, the Democrats' official nominee for Congress was also decided at the caucus. Rep. Brian Baird, the five term congressman from Vancouver, won his party's nomination by a vote of 59 to 24 over fellow Democrat Cheryl Crist.

Washington's superdelegate count stands at five for Obama, five for Clinton and seven undecided. State Republican deciders may know something the Democrats don't know, since they've been campaigning against Obama, without a single mention on Clinton in recent letters. The Republican decidee is coming to town, and you can meet him for dinner for only $33,100.

More importantly, does it matter? Looking at our leaders, the experience trope has been inconsistent at best.

On the national level, touting her experience hasn’t worked at all for Hillary Clinton, and experience was not required of George W. Bush.  read more »

Olympia's Cheryl Crist, challenging Rep. Brian Bairdrd District (D-Vancouver) for his 3 seat in the House, bills herself as "the peace candidate" and stakes her candidacy to the notion that "peace and prosperity are our birthright as citizens of the United States of America," and that voters are clamoring for a candidate who represents their shared goals of peace and social justice.

Governor Chris Gregoire is expected to sign two bills providing $50 million for long-term flood mitigation projects in the areas hardest hit by last year's winter storms - Lewis, Thurston and Gray's Harbor counties.  read more »

The presentation of a $5M WIRED grant to the Pacific Mountain Workforce Consortium, a group comprised of businesses, unions and governments in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties brought a high profile set of politicians to Tumwater today reports The Olympian.  read more »

In new congressional power rankings released this week, Washington's delegation ranked 20th out of 50 states led by Rep. Norm Dicks and Sen. Patty Murray in the House and Senate, respectively.  read more »