And the painted ponies go up and down…

When Governor Chris Gregoire made her anticipated retirement announcement, political ears were tuned to Jay Inslee, who had put off announcing his own plans before Gregoire's statement. Before Jay acted, though, word came from D.C. that former King County Exec Ron Sims, who has sought statewide office before, was coming home. Ron, though, quickly quashed talk of a gubernatorial campaign, endorsing Jay as he announced his retirement from H.U.D.

Meanwhile, occasional Democrat and frequent grandstander Brian Sonntag said he's considering leaving the State Auditor's office for a run at the Governor's mansion, with a decision to come within a couple of weeks. That's another wrinkle for Inslee, who has said he won't run if there's Democratic opposition in the primary. If Sonntag runs and Inslee demurs, there's an opening for someone to champion the Democratic voters of King County, whose memories hopefully aren't as short as Sonntag must hope. His disputes with the Democratic leadership in Olympia can be explained, if not always excused, as the rigorous defense of his office and its work. His endorsement of Republican Susan Hutchison for King County Executive is another matter altogether.

So, if Brian says yes and Jay says no, what's Ron gonna say then?