When he isn't hanging out with Republicans from Asotin, Deryl McCarty is chatting with Republicans from King County.

Part way through my conversation with him today, McCarty handed off his phone to Lori Sotelo, chairwoman of the King County Republican Party.

Sotelo said she was "frustrated, but not discouraged" by the work of vandals who attacked a booth that her party set up over the weekend at the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle.

Unknown vandals tore open a tent, flipped over a table and tried to light parts of a display on fire

Republicans are accustomed to "challenging conversations" at Bumbershoot, Sotelo said.

"But this crosses a line," she said. "It's a different kind of assault."

Click ahead to read the press release issued by the King County Republican Party.

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Arun Raha will replace ChangMook Sohn, former executive director of the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, who resigned to run for state treasurer.

Sohn made a dismal showing in last month's primary election.

So far as I can see, the only strike against Raha is that he graduated from Wazzu.

(Yes, I'm a Husky.)

New Forecast Council Executive Director Announced
OLYMPIA, September 2, 2008 --- The Economic and Revenue Forecast Council has
named Arun Raha to serve as executive director to replace interim director Steve
Lerch and former director ChangMook Sohn.
“We couldn’t have made a better choice,” said State Representative and Forecast
Council Chair Jim McIntire. “Dr. Raha’s strong track record and his expertise in global
economics and forecasting are a great fit for this very important position, especially
at this turbulent time. The Council is delighted to have him return to Washington.”

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Deryl McCarty, chairman of the Pierce County Republican Party, called from the floor of the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. with an update for me.

Things are starting to pick up following the hurricane-induced slow start yesterday, said McCarty, who is an alternate delegate. "A little pomp, a little circumstance," was how McCarty described the shift in tone.

But he took exception with one description he read of Monday's events.

"One of the local papers called it somber," McCarty said. "It wasn't somber. It was serious."

It was appropriate to pause to help Gulf Coast residents, McCarty said, and the Republican Party had to take care of some of the usual housekeeping that goes with a convention.

McCarty echoed Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri's comments about getting to know the members of Washington's delegation.

"I've enjoyed getting to meet my friends from Asotin," he said. "I didn't know I had any, but as a matter of fact I do."

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's parents grew up in Eastern Washington, and one of her aunts still lives in Richland.

Chris Mulick, political reporter for our sister paper, blogged about the Washington connection on Friday. Check it out here.

Someone dropped a sandbag from an overpass in the Twin Cities yesterday, hitting one of the buses carrying members of the Washington delegation, Dick Muri said.

Muri, a Pierce County councilman and Republican national delegate, was riding on a different bus, and did not have details.

I found this blog post from someone called Gateway Pundit that describes sandbag and cement bag attacks on delegation buses.

The Star Tribune ran this Associated Press article describing "violent protests" in the convention cities.

Muri said security is extremely tight. As he spoke this morning from a paddle-wheel ship cruising the Mississippi River, he could see two Coast Guard speed boats with large-caliber weapons providing escort.

And an armed guard rode on his bus.

Muri said he doesn't mind the protesters gathering on overpasses with banners.

"That's OK," he said. "That's the kind of protest you want."

But he couldn't help but note the irony in the fact that some of them are crossing a line and becoming violent as they protest war.

Pierce County Councilman Dick Muri phoned today from a paddle-wheel boat on the Mississippi River. Muri, a Republican national delegate, was cruising the river in the Twin Cities with the rest of the Washington delegation.

So far, the Republican National Convention has been a low-key affair, thanks in part to the cancellation of planned speakers yesterday due to Hurricane Gustav.

Among them was President Bush, who went to Texas instead to be with disaster workers as the hurricane approached.

Bush now is expected to address the convention tonight via satellite.

Muri said he's been using the extra time to get to know people in Washington's 80-person delegation. There were local meetings on Monday, and the group took a tour of Minneapolis.

A business meeting yesterday that typically would have taken five or six hours was dispatched with in just an hour.

Muri and others enjoyed an hour-long breakfast today with former Sen. Slade Gorton.

"There is more time as a delegation to get to know one another," Muri said.