Cantwell and Seattle Weekly: A Love Affair

There's a cool piece in the Seattle Weekly today about what a cold-hearted efficient and effective politician Maria Cantwell is that you should definitely check out. Look for the article in your paper where Mossback usually is or online here.

Cantwell is far from perfect. In fact, she ranks high among the most difficult people I've ever worked for or with. The seven months I spent in her charge felt like seven years. The campaign, larded with her RealNetworks stock windfall, spent more money on Red Vines than most candidates spend on direct mail. And conspicuous consumption during happy hour became all but a necessity, as it was invariably better to be half in the bag when Cantwell, a paranoid hellcat of a boss who rolls through staff like toilet paper, would make her daily sweep through the office, berating everyone in sight.

Yes, yes, we've all come to that conclusion, but it's still nice to see someone say it out loud. Like a lot of people we're head over heels in love with Energy Cantwell. Like a lot of people we're thinking of... maybe not breaking up with War Cantwell next Valentines Day, but not really going all the way on the flowers, chocolates and KY warming massage oil either.

She's refused to flip-flop.

Instead, Cantwell has crafted a nuanced plan for how the Bush administration might go about correcting course in Iraq with more international collaboration and contract bidding, rather than calling for massive troop withdrawal while the likes of Halliburton line selected pockets with no-compete cash.

Cantwell has crafted a nuanced plan for correcting course in Iraq? Well, where the hell is it and why aren't we either picking that apart or nodding our heads in agreement? Who knows, maybe we'll get so wrapped up in the nuances of this plan that we'll forget to hold the strategy session leading up to our next Cantwell shout-down. So why isn't she pushing this plan in front of everyone? Are we so daft we couldn't possibly understand it?