Jim McDermott

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.

One of Washington's undecided slate of Democratic National Committee superdelegates, David McDonald, spoke to the press about his status today, but only to announce that he would not be throwing his superdelegate weight around until after the May 31 meeting of the DNC rules committee. That meeting will decide how to seat the delegations from Florida and Michigan who were penalized for moving their primaries earlier than DNC rules allowed.

McDonald is on the DNC's rules and bylaws committee that initially voted to strip Florida's and Michigan's delegates as a punishment. It was a move that McDonald supported. He told The Olympian today that he hoped to reserve the appearance of impartiality prior to that meeting.

Don Moody (D-Wenatchee)When you don't have much money and you don't have the pulpit of incumbency it can be difficult to make your voice heard.  The simplest solution, for those in the underdog role, is to seek debates with one's opponent. Just ask Hillary Clinton as of February 5, 2008.

It is no different here in Washington. In the last week two Congressional challengers, Steve Beren (R-Seattle) and Don Moody (D-Wenatchee) have issued calls for a series of public debates with their opponents.

Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Seattle) legal woes may be over, but his finances may have cause for concern. The AP is reporting that McDermott has paid former Rep. Boehner in full for the long-running lawsuit Boehner recently won against McDermottRep. Jim McDermott for violation of privacy relating to a phone call Seatte's Congressman leaked to the media in 1996.

But the $628,000 he paid from his campaign account leaves him with roughly fifteen hundred dollars plus whatever he raised in April for his quest to be re-elected to a tenth term in the 7th District.

WEST SEATTLE -

There appears to be approximately 1000 Democrats in attendance here at the West Seattle High School gymnasium, but that is a rough estimate. It is the standard convention mix of interest groups, delegates and, of course, candidates.

A former war protester from New York City is running for U.S. House in the Seattle's urban 7th District. His name is Steve Beren, and he is a Republican. Really, he is, and he hopes to unseat incumbent Rep. Jim McDermott, the longtime Congressman who has helped to bear the standard of liberal policies all throughout his tenure.

Republican Steve Beren, who lost to Rep. Jim McDermott in the 2006 7th District race and is challening him again this time around, has called for McDermott to step down as a result of today's legal ruling that requires he pay over $1M in legal fees and fines to Rep. John Boehner. Beren's statement is below.

The Politico's Crypt blog is reporting that Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Seattle) has been ordered to pay over a million dollars in legal fees, interest and fines as a result of the invasion of privacy lawsuit filed against him by Rep. John Boehner in 1998. The total damages include $1,053,181.40 in attorney's fees and costs for Boehner, some $40,000 in interest, and $60,000 in fines.

And don't forget to submit your idea in our Cartoon Caption Contest. The deadline is Friday.

In today's Seattle Times Representative Jim McDermott responded to the case revolving around his 2002 trip to Iraq, which Federal prosecutors recently alleged was organized by the Iraqi government through a man named Muthanna Al-Hanooti.