Cancel your Thursday morning appointments: Gov. Chris Gregoire will be on the Foss waterway at 9 a.m. to kickoff her re-election campaign boat tour. I'll join her on (at least part of) Day 1, which starts in Tacoma then hits Des Moines and Seattle before docking in Edmonds. On Friday, they'll continue to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.

Spokesman Aaron Toso tells me that the Tacoma stop will focus on how cleaning up the Puget Sound can encourage economic development.

If you haven't noticed, the Governor likes to spend campaign time in Tacoma. Rossi won Pierce County in 2004 -- the first Republican to win our county in decades -- so Pierce County is an obvious place to find an extra 133 votes or so.

See you Thursday.

The Washington Education Association -- who some might say is to Gov. Chris Gregoire's reelection campaign what the BIAW is to Dino Rossi's campaign -- announced today that it is endorsing U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert for Congress over Democratic challenger Darcy Burner. The National Education Association is also endorsing Reichert.

WEA President Mary Lindquist says in the press release that "Washington educators appreciate Rep. Reichert's support for public schools, students and education employees. He understands the need to invest in quality public education."

In other surprising news, the 'Bush Legacy Bus' will make its last tour stop in Seattle tomorrow.

This was, of course, only surprising until I realized that the bus is a project of Americans United for Change. The bus is a 45-foot biodiesel "museum on wheels" with exhibits on "two terms of failed conservative policies supported by Bush and his allies - including Sen. John McCain and Rep. Dave Reichert."

Predictably, the opposition campaign is focusing on the diversion of money from education, health care and other general government programs to transportation.

Among other things, I-985 would require that a portion of the sales tax on vehicle be spent on congestion relief.

(Yes, Tim, this truly is a "diversion" because right now the sales tax on vehicles is not spent on transportation, although there are some weight fees that are.)

UPDATE: And here's a brief rebuttle from Tim Eyman.

Opponents' threats, lies, and scare tactics approach hasn't worked for 10 years, it ain't gonna work in 2009. I-985 is a common sense, no-new-taxes, transportation reform proposal based on State Auditor Brian Sonntag's performance audit recommendations. We're excited the voters will have the chance to approve I-985 in November.

Read on:

NO! on I-985
TO ALL MEDIA CONTACT:
For immediate release Bill LaBorde, 206.484.8662
July 18, 2008
Coalition Emerging to Oppose Initiative 985: Proposed Initiative Would Cut Funding for Education and Health
Care while Increasing Traffic Congestion
SEATTLE – As the Secretary of State’s Office qualified I-985 for the November ballot, a diverse array of interests from across the state are emerging to oppose this latest measure
from Tim Eyman.
Opponents cited a long list of problems that would be caused or exacerbated by I-985.
"Initiative 985 is an initiative that promises everything for nothing," said Bill LaBorde, State Director for Environment Washington and a spokesperson for the No! on I-985 campaign. It
would divert more than $127 million per year that now goes to the general operating budget into a dedicated account that would do little address the state’s transportation problems.

=> Read more!