Quotes & amp;amp; Notes

by Inlander Staff


Rossi Boxed In? -- Remember when Republican Dino Rossi was declared the winner of the first count in the governor's race? After Gregoire called for a recount, Rossi called her "sad and desperate" for fighting on. At the time, it seemed like a goofy comment, because everybody with a brain knew that if Rossi was down by 42 votes, he'd have called for a recount, too. But you have to wonder what he'll do if he loses the recount: Will he seek further recourse, or will he accept it because anything else would be, in his words, sad and desperate?





Boeing Alert -- Rossi's fellow Republican Rob McKenna doesn't have to worry about a recount -- he was easily elected as Attorney General. So he's looking ahead at what could top his agenda in January. One item that has raised eyebrows is his statement that he'd put a fresh set of legal eyes on the $3.2 billion tax break given to Boeing when it agreed to put the 7E7 plant in Washington state. He added that he'd oppose any such incentives in the future: "I don't think we can ever replicate the Boeing package," McKenna told Seattle Weekly last month. "We'd bankrupt ourselves."


Controversy has been brewing over the deal since it was revealed that the state and Boeing secretly shared the same consultant.





Jimmy's Christmas Wish -- It's not a momentous Spokane City Council meeting unless Jimmy Marks shows up to remind everyone of the events of 1986, when his home was raided and... well, you know the rest. So it was a relief on Saturday to see Marks at the podium while the council pondered its legal dispute with the Cowles family. Marks said lawyers had nothing to do with it; the deal was doomed because he cursed the city. But upon leaving, Marks seemed to be overcome by the holiday spirit, even wishing the council happy holidays.


"But," he added quickly, lest anyone think his sudden burst of goodwill might lead to the lifting of the curse, "you're still cursed!"





Shades of Saddam? -- Along Interstate 4 in Orlando, Fla., drivers were treated to a giant reminder last month: "George W. Bush: Our Leader," read the billboards featuring the president's smiling face. The billboards, owned by Clear Channel, were apparently used for the post-election political statement by the local office; HQ told the media it wasn't aware of the odd filler ads.


Dianna Lawson wrote to the Orlando Sentinel that, "The first thing I thought was, 'When was the last time I have seen a president on a billboard? Didn't Saddam Hussein have his picture up everywhere?' "





Publication date: 12/16/04