Today was kind of a rough news day here in Seattle. Even Jesus Obama let us down a little bit today by announcing he's going to expand Bush's faith based programs. Meanwhile, California's talking about letting everyone have pot, whereas our own local officials are limiting the access even sick people get to good weed in Washington. Before we pack it up and head home for the day, we figured we'd put it to you......

The PI's Big Blog floated the rumor yesterday that Washington's own "mom in tennis shoes," Patty Murray, could become Obama's running mate. We did a double take and wondered if someone had spiked our morning coffee. While Murray has been a successful legislator for Washington State, she was a fierce Hillary supporter until throwing her support behind Obama on Sunday. She doesn't add what Obama needs to the ticket anyway. By noon yesterday, Murray's......

Photo by Anthony Macaluso/AnimalNY Gothamist was shocked when someone scaled the 52-story New York Times building's exterior on Thursday. And then Gothamist was shocked again when a second person scaled the building six hours later. Shanghaiist was amused by a wild and wacky publicity stunt by a Chinese acupuncturist who stuck 2,008 needles in his head to welcome the Olympics.Torontoist featured dozens of dramatic photos from Newmindspace's downtown pillow fight.Phillyist encouraged its readers to......

Photos Courtesy of the AP The Amanda Knox case, similar to Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination, seems to be never-ending. It boggles the mind how Knox still sits uncharged in an Italian jail while evidence continues to build that she is likely innocent. Just like the Hillary campaign, the Italian police seem to be continuously denying the most recent evidence and plodding on the course they planned to take all along: Hillary......

">Throughout the campaign we have been gathering the top political writers in the country, and asking them to discuss the presidential race. Today they discuss the end of the Democratic primary, Senator Clinton's future, and a brief look at the general. Seattlest: It's been a very eventful week, with Senator Obama wrapping up the nomination and Senator Clinton set to end her campaign, where do you see the race going now? Ryan (Time Magazine): Finally.......

This whole thing started way back on January 3, a gray, rainy winter day with a high of 47. Now, six months later in the heat of a gray, rainy summer day with a high close to 60, it will come to an end. Remember how all those states moved their primary/caucus dates up so they would be important, how did that work there, Florida/Michigan? Senator Obama has rented out the 20,000 seat Xcel......

We'll be the first to admit Hillary Clinton's embarrassing statement last week (and other occasions), when she recalled RFK's assassination in June of 1968 as an example of things that can happen late in a campaign. We all know there's a possibility the first viable black presidential candidate could get shot. It's been talked about and analyzed and discussed (and, yes, joked about by the other party). But, somehow, to hear another Democratic candidate......

With Oregon and Kentucky going to the polls today, Obama ready to take over an even clearer lead in pledged delegates, and Hillary poised to trounce him in whiteland, there's a lot of discussion on the interwebs about whether or not Hillary's supporters will get behind Obama when it's all said and done. It's a valid question. Obama is an eloquent intellectual who hasn't bothered to pander to the under-educated, under-paid among us. As......

Only a few more states now. Tonight Kentucky and our downstairs roommate Oregon will have their voice spun. Wouldn't candidates save a whole bunch of time, money, and fuel if primaries were held geographically? Plus the media could label each night like they do with the Potomac Primary. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho could be Sasquatch Saturday. Senator Clinton should take the Bluegrass State for certain reasons, and Senator Obama will win Oregon for other......

Obama in Portland, Ore. at a record-setting rally on Sunday. (Courtesy of the AP) Portland, Oregon showed it was truly Obama country during a rally on Sunday, where an estimated 75,000 people showed up to hear the candidate speak at Tom McCall Waterfront Park, on the bank of the Willamette River. The photos of Obama--an ant amidst a sea of people--must be sending chills down the Clinton campaign's collective spine. The 75,000 strong crowd doubled......

The latest endorsement may not be on a John Edwards scale. But, in such a tightly contested race, every endorsement (especially one from a superdelegate) is a victory worth celebrating. Washington Representative and superdelegate Jim McDermott announced his support of Barack Obama today. McDermott told the Seattle P-I that he is supporting Obama because he is "confident as president he will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home." McDermott......

Once again political pundits say that Hillary Clinton has to win either Indiana or North Carolina or it’s curtains for her--same as it ever was. As the race has turned to the "blue collar" states, we are being attacked more because we drink lattes, are more likely to drive a Volvo than a truck, and don't buy clothes at Wal-Mart. We've heard these attacks before, from those on the right, and understand why the......

Last week Seattlest sent us down to North Carolina to find out how people in that crucial state feel about Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and being the focus of the national media. During our forty-five minute lay-over at Charlotte's Douglas Airport, we spoke with people of all races, ages, and height. At "The Official NASCAR Gift Shop," a young Caucasian woman named Sally was neatly stacking hats. Was she one of the many Democratic voters......

Thank the sweet lord that the Pennsylvania Primary is finally here. In the six weeks since Barack Obama won Vermont, we've been forced to deal with the worst of what American political campaigns have to offer. Seriously, you folks in Western Pennsylvania want to talk about bitterness, just get any Seahawk fan started on the Super Bowl against your Steelers. We’ll see your guns and religion, and raise you clinging to the game’s officiating.......

__ Get outside and enjoy the sudden burst of (can it be?) spring-like weather. __ Check out Grey Gallery once and for all. __ Maybe go to Dick's, because we're eating meat now and will need to sop up our Grey Gallery drinks with something. Okay, Dick's or Quinn's. __ Watch Hillary Clinton kick and punch her way back into this race via another presidential debate (8 p.m. on KOMO 4). __ Watch Syesha,......

...if you're heading to the next round of caucuses this Sunday. We can't think of any local angle on this, but it's important to share this kind of information with our readers when we find it. Because, let's face it, stuff like this can sway voters, folks. (NSFW, unless you have headphones):......

Like our esteemed editor, we also acted as a delegate at our precinct caucus yesterday, the 36th District Caucus at Ballard High School. It should be noted that we're one of those political junkies you hear so much about so, hangover not withstanding, we were looking forward to the chance to mill about with a bunch of other rabid Democrats to prepare for the unseating of the worst President ever. As an Obama delegate, we......

Yesterday morning, we got up around 6:30 a.m., and headed to Lincoln/Garfield High School in Wallingford to check people into the 43rd Legislative District Caucus for the Hillary campaign. Once everyone was checked in, we corralled into the auditorium, where we listened to a few hours of question/answer (a lot of people talking about whether or not you should switch your vote), a few speeches, some time-killing jokes (??), and the surrogates for each......

Tomorrow is the day that the delegates and alternates we elected in last month's caucuses will get together and go through the whole thing all over again. Wheeeee! You don't have to be a delegate or alternate to attend, so if you're as transfixed with the process as we are, feel free to show up. If you don't know where to go, you can find your legislative district caucusing location here. It starts at......

Yesterday, this Seattlest headed to the U-District library to meet with other Hillary Clinton delegates (Hillegates?) from the fightin' 43rd, and to learn about what lies between us and the national convention. Because we care, we thought we'd share the info with you. If you're not a Hillegate or Obamegate, you can just skip to reading about other things. Okay, so first things first: all alternates should really, really show up to next weekend's......

MUSIC: The question of the day is whether to hear Jens Lekman at Neumos or a re-formed The Cult. It's six of one, half-dozen of the other, isn't it? But since The Cult show is sold out, you're better off dropping by Neumos for Swedish indie pop. His new album, says Pitchfork, spans "the baroque pop of Scott Walker, the upbeat rhythms and bright harmonies of Northern soul, and the beach-party disco of fellow......

Five years ago today, this Seattlest contributor was sitting in a coffeeshop in Eugene, Oregon, reading the paper about the beginning of the invasion of Iraq. There was something strange and distant about the whole thing, and not just the strangeness and dislocation that every civilian sipping coffee and reading about the scarier facets of the world has: it was also strangely misunderstood, a daring adventure undertaken for reasons no one fully understood. Five......

Seattlest grew up in a very small town in Central Florida. In our immediate area, we could count seven colleges. That doesn't include the University of Miami or Florida State, UWF, UNF, USF, the Art Institutes, and other colleges and universities (Obama's demographic). Florida is not, contrary to popular belief, peopled entirely by retirees (Clinton's demographic). Most of the folks around our small hometown are very blue collar, there are a lot of fern......

Last month, four-fifths of Pearl Jam touted their own Obama-song, unofficially signaling the band's endorsement of the (delegate) leading Democrat. Unofficially, because Eddie Vedder wasn't involved. Then Ralph Nader—Eddie's favorite former candidate—joined the presidential race. Would the frontman split from his bandmates or maintain political solidarity? Now we know. Eddie likes Barack Obama. Evidence: The Body of War soundtrack-contributing artist is one of 24 "celebrity judges" (our quotes) to judge the entries of MoveOn.org's......

In the New Yorker's Talk of the Town this week, they mention the IdreamofHillaryIdreamofBarack website, at which people who have dreamed of either candidate are invited to share what went down (and recently, for balance, McCain dreamers are invited to contribute, too). It's pretty much what you'd expect, but the sole Seattle mention so far is disheartening. It doesn't say if the contributor is from Seattle or not, but either way, is this really how......

On Saturday night Rainer Beach and Auburn Riverside captured the state's boys and girls 3A basketball championships. However, the lasting legacy of the tournament may be the words of Lakes Coach JoJo Rodriguez. Following his team's first round victory, he told the Times: "Unranked Meadowdale cut Lakes' lead to 63-60 with 1:03 to play, but Rodriguez said he remembered the advice given to him long ago by his mentor, Al Hairston, who won five Class......

This post is brought to you by, we believe, Seattlest's lone Hillary supporter or, as we like to refer to ourself, Hillpporter. If you travel around the tubes today, you might see all manner of photos of Hillary Clinton looking very happy, surrounded by oodles of confetti. That's because, last night, Hillary brought it, winning the primaries in Texas, Ohio, and Rhode Island. We kind of wanted to go watch the returns with all......

Hillary Clinton's conviction that our next president must be a "fighter" now has literal representation: Fighter of Foo Dave Grohl has announced his candidacy as an Independent. HARP magazine's new issue showcases the "worldwide exclusive" scoop; the online version of the piece highlights the former Nirvana drummer's "politics" and electability likability. A few snipped-up snippets: On why he’s the right candidate for the job: “Every night when I’m on tour, I bring my message......

MIT behavioral economist Dan Ariely has gone on record (video above) weighing the pros and cons of Barack Obama, thereby guaranteeing that someone will ask a cringe-inducing "joke" question about his preference of candidates during the Q&A after his talk at Town Hall tonight. His studies show that people clearly make irrational mistakes, thus thwarting the expectations of standard economists and turning them into crabby people with shriveled souls. Yet, because we make them over......

We have gathered some of the top political writers in the country and asked them to discuss the presidential race throughout the year. Today they will discuss the Democratic race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Seattlest-- How do you feel Senator Clinton's recent attacks on Senator Obama are shaping the upcoming Texas and Ohio primaries? Jeff (San Francisco Chronicle)-- I've got to come clean with my dirty secret-- I'm starting to get cold feet......