Yes, this is entirely off-topic, but I'm surprised, pleased, and
overjoyed that a big-city Democrat has won Packwood's Senate seat.

Those of you up north are probably unaware of just how unusual it
is for a Portland Democrat to win a statewide race, here. Though
Wyden only won by a percentage point, in terms of the odds in normal
situations it represents quite a victory, and a rebuttal of Gordon
Smith's attempts to paint himself as a Hatfield-style moderate.

And exit polls show that many, many voters were concerned about
Gordon Smith's environmental record and that this played a large
role in Wyden's victory, overcoming Wyden's history of being
a traditional Demo deficit spender.

There's also the perceived fact that Wyden, in 12 years as Congressman,
has done diddly and is a spineless wimp. Hell, it IS fact. His
voting record is good (by my values) but he is no leader. The
conservation community has been urging folks to vote against Smith,
rather than for Wyden, because of this.

And, to top things of, Smith outspend Wyden $4.5 million to $3 million,
is very photogenic, well-spoken and polished, and got the "liberal
media" Oregonian to endorse him despite "concerns about his environmental
record".

In other good news (again, in my evaluation), the Republican leadership
recently announced that they'll give up rewriting environmental laws
until after the November election. The "year of living dangerously",
as the conservation community has put it, has passed without the
ultimate and overwhelming defeat of conservation law. The one extremely
horrid law - the timber salvage bill (savage timber bill?) - could've
been beaten down if Clinton hadn't wimped out. Blame Bill, not
Slade, for letting himself be snookered.

We can now focus on November.

Remember, better stewardship means better birding for your grandkids.

- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>