In a poll taken in this state a week after the election by Peter Hart, guess which of our three top women office holders topped out in voter acceptance?
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, Gov. Christine Gregoire or Sen. Patty Murray?
I wrongly guessed Murray because she has the image of a kindly school teacher and the public loves school teachers despite the fact their profession should get an F for the job we pay them to do.
I knew it couldnt be Gregoire because she, unfortunately, too much resembles that character in the Dalmatian cartoon that goes around gathering up puppies for a new coat.
The top vote getter was Cantwell, which surprises me because she seems such a cold fish. She probably won in the acceptable category, the person who told me about the poll said, because shes the one most recently on the ballot.
I guessed wrong in another poll question too. Between Sens. John McCain and Hilary Clinton, which would carry Washington state in a presidential election? Given were such a blue state and love women politicians, I figured Hilary would have Washington locked up but the poll went for the Republican, McCain. Hes not your average Republican, of course. He chums more with the Democrats in the Senate than the GOP, although hes more loyal to the president than some of his peers.
Ive never been a McCain fan, especially after reading his book about his life, in which he displays that hes an unstable individual. As a kid, as a college student, in the Academy, even to his final days as a prisoner of war, he was reckless.
As the Vietnam war was ending and POWs were awaiting arrival of their fellow Americans to take them home, McCain was harassing the guards until the senior officer of his group of prisoners told him to knock it off. He was only creating trouble for everyone. He writes about it himself.
But McCain is a genuine war hero. If he is the ultimate Republican candidate, hell pick up a lot of Democratic votes. Remember how many were for him last time when he lost the nomination to George Bush. Probably the only other potential candidate who could get support from Rs and Ds is Rudy Giuliani, whose problem will be getting Republican backers since he carries the baggage of being pro-choice and for gay rights.
Heres another poll result that may surprise you. Guess who won the popularity contest among Democratic candidates for president?
Barack Obama.
Youd think Hilary would easily rise to the top here. But she didnt. I think its a combination of a new fresh face and personality. Hilarys been around for years. Maybe too long in the starting gate. In fact, the person who gave me the poll results said if Bill could possibly run again, thats who hed vote for. Democrats still love Bill Clinton.
Personally, I think Bill is torn between wanting to be on top of the heap again as the husband of the president, and the fear that she might go down in history as a better president than he was.
Obama is smart enough to realize that he isnt likely to win the nomination over the vast and lavishly financed Clinton machine but he cam by virtue of turning out adoring crowds everywhere, force the Clintons into putting him in the vice presidential spot where hell be content to stay until the next time around when his lack of experience wont be questioned.
Oh, my candidate? Newt Gingrich but Id settle for Giuliani.

(Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69. Hansville, WA 98340.)