He's more than gracious…

…(an actual fan? Who'da thunk?) but I'm hoping that Rod will have his breakthrough moment real soon now…

I still don't much care for Maria Cantwell. She's a damn sight better than McGavick, and she's done some fine work on the ANWR and Enron issues, but she leaves me colder than a Copper River sockeye. I should note, however, that there was a time not so long ago when I felt much the same about our senior Senator, Patty Murray. I once believed that she was neither very bright nor very effective; I have since come to feel that I was hasty and unfair in my judgment, and I now like Patty Marray a lot. Perhaps I will experience a similar change of opinion regarding Cantwell one day…

In fact, today would be a good day. It's really time to get past the "yes, but…" stage of the campaign and get a bandwagon going for Maria, because contrary to the impression some folks seem to have, this one isn't going to be easy.

Don't believe me? Ask these guys…

The latest Rasmussen Reports election poll of Washington state's Senate race shows Republican Mike McGavick continuing to chip away at the incumbent's lead.

Democratic U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell now leads McGavick 48% to 40%. In March, Cantwell led 49% to 36%.

The new poll is the third in a row in which the incumbent has lost a percentage point of support. And it's the second poll in a row showing her at less than 50% support.

Those aren't solid incumbent numbers, folks. There's very little margin for sniping from the sidelines. If her heroic work on the ANWR filibuster and her defiant assault on Enron aren't quite enough to get you going, remember too that she's been Patty's indispensable ally on veteran's and port security issues. She's been designated Harry Reid's go-to Senator on energy policy. She's been a friend to labor, compiling 100% ratings from AFSCME, the SEIU, the CWA and the Machinists, and an 85% overall AFL-CIO COPE record. Not really the mark of a corporate shill.

That ACLU record is actually 78%, not perfect but an improvement. She's aces on education, solid on public health, and she votes with Americans for Democratic Action (yeah, the liberal outfit that has my own personal Congressman in the head honcho spot) an impressive 95% of the time.

As, if not more, importantly, there's simply no scenario I'm aware of that produces a Democratic majority in the US Senate without a Democratic Senator in the junior seat from the state of Washington. While I don't quite buy his point that Maria and McGavick are simply incidentals, Carl is spot on when commenting that this race is also "between Harry and Whoever the R's replace Doc Stealsalot for leadership of the senate. It's between Ted Kennedy and Arlen Specter for chair of Judiciary." It's critical. Rod knows it...

Mike McGavick must be defeated, and that means a (more or less) enthusiastic vote for Maria Cantwell. On that point, Shaun and I are in wholehearted agreement.

I'm just asking for a the more enthusiastic option. Because it matters, and because Maria Cantwell is a solid Democratic Senator who deserves solid Democratic support.