Is it our breath?
Are we not blue enough?
There has got to be a reason why so few from Washington state get asked to serve in high office in the federal government. In 120 years of statehood, just three Washington politicians have been appointed to a presidential Cabinet (you have until the end of this column to name them).
Every four years we play the game. We create short lists that include our best and brightest (or most obvious) for jobs like secretary of Interior, secretary of Transportation, secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
And every year, we are passed over like the lime green Jello mold at the end of the buffet table.
Barack Obama has just a few more appointments to make. And unless a Washington resident becomes the head of the departments of Labor or Transportation or the director of the CIA, we're skunked again.
There is still a chance that U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee and Adam Smith could get appointed to something, but they won't be Cabinet level. And names like Gary Locke and Ron Sims are still being tossed about. But they'll likely be for jobs at an even lower level.
To read the complete column, visit The (Tacoma) News Tribune.