Four-way stop

Well, here's a fine Oregon story: The no. 2 candidate for governor on the Republican side, Mayor Stan Pulliam of Sandy, finds himself responding to reports that he and his wife were participants in a swingers' club five or six years ago, and maybe more recently. Apparently, he confirms it's true, but won't give specifics about the timeframe. And he says those days are now over.

Plenty of people are fine with polyamory. But it is kind of odd behavior coming from a Republican. Not that long ago, the joke was that Republicans didn't go to orgies because there were too many thank-you notes to write afterward.

I'd be more concerned about Pulliam's judgment in agreeing to give his first interview on the subject, with his wife at his side, to the state's two premier political hit people at Willamette Weed. You talk about walking through a minefield. That pair churned out more than two dozen paragraphs, here, talking softly but inflicting damage as only they can. Another one bites the dust.

I feel bad for the Pulliams' two young daughters. This is why most good people don't go into politics.

The Weed will have another big day soon enough, when the state supreme court hands Nick Kristof his well-deserved pink slip. A Friday might be a day the judges would do that. Kristof's eligibility problems were another WW reveal, as far as I can tell. Nigel Jaquiss has so many notches on his belt that he needs a new belt.

And of course, their "Betsy Johnson [something-something] Republican" shtick will go on until November. Among Democrats with any realistic shot at all, that leaves standing only Tobias Read and you-know-who. If I were Read, I'd watch my back.