Stories for Feb. 18, 2008

It's Presidents Day in Washington: So whom can we claim as ours?

Mon, Feb 18, 1:56 a.m.

By Pete Jackson

Presidents Day evokes a chafe-inducing question: The Northwest has produced a president or two, yes? The reflexive answer – that we're too authentic to churn out presidents and, by the way, California ex-pats hail from Nixon country – is too 20th century. It's time we adopt a president as One of Ours, someone who actually lived and labored in the Northwest. Thankfully, at least one chief executive meets the worked-here criterion, a depressive Army captain stationed for 15 months at Fort Vancouver on the Columbia River. He was a whiskered, under-appreciated alcoholic, a failed businessman, a Mexican War hero who condemned the imperialism of that conflict, an advocate of our nation's first national park, and a vigorous supporter of civil rights for African Americans.

We are not 'the next Silicon Valley'

Mon, Feb 18, midnight

By Margaret Pugh O’Mara

Nor should we be. An expert on the original high-tech nexus explains why all these technology clusters are unique and not able to be imitated. Instead, Seattle should build on its local strengths while remaining a key part of the global network of technology industries.