Gregoire's impressive performance

From Puget Sound cleanup to jobs creation, Gov. Chris Gregoire has had a busy term, but what resonates most is the attention she's paying to education and children's health care — two issues with substantial value on the national political scene.

Gov. Gregoire is looking — dare I say it? — presidential.

I don't mean to start rumors or launch fantasies. The Democratic side of the 2008 race for the White House is more congested than a Nordstrom half-yearly sale. And, by all accounts, the governor is happy being governor.

Yet, I've been watching this woman preside ably over our state and my impression of her has gone from lukewarm to mightily impressed.

In the recent legislative session, the governor kicked in money to extend health care to an additional 38,500 low-income children who were not covered. It was a prescient and astute move considering Congress is set to reauthorize a federal program that insures low-income children who don't qualify for Medicaid.

Sen. Maria Cantwell complements Gregoire's efforts by leading the charge for changes in the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which would benefit leaders like Washington state.

The governor was equally effective in education. The Washington Assessment of Student Learning took such a beating from the teachers union and misguided lawmakers that I was close to calling time of death on the high-stakes test. But the governor stepped in and negotiated a peace accord that delayed the math and science graduation requirements but retained the system's strong accountability and standards.

There shouldn't be hard feelings on either side of the education-reform debate. By the time Gregoire was through, she had pumped in an extra $900 per student from kindergarten to 12th grade. That's a $2.5 billion increase in education spending.

Critics charged Gregoire tossed around money like a drunken Democrat. The contention that her education and health-care priorities would lead to tax hikes emboldened her detractors. Almost-governor Dino Rossi emerged from the shadows talking of a political rematch centered on tax cuts.

I hope the former state legislator and Republican has something else in his briefcase. Despite Rossi's reputation for writing what a conservative colleague of mine admiringly coined the most frugal state budget in recent history, who would trade lower taxes for sick children?

To be sure, Gregoire's priorities and paying for them are made easier by a strong economy. The real management trick for our state's chief executive will be to keep up the good work when the economy goes south. Investing in children ought not be a random act of kindness.

For now, revenue predictions are rosy. According to the state Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, reserves are headed upward of $1 billion. The economy is fortified by an all-time low unemployment rate of 4.4 percent and job growth that outpaces the nation.

The extra revenue will swell the state's rainy-day account to $360 million. Those who complained Gregoire was spending too much and saving too little may want to take this moment to apologize. I'll wait.

The parent and humanist in me applauds Gregoire's leadership on soft issues such as education and health care, instead of the routine emphasis on hard-boiled issues such as trade and taxes. She walks in esteemed company. On the national political hustings, billionaires Bill Gates and Eli Broad have launched "Ed in '08," the most expensive single-issue campaign since l'affair Swift Boat. Gates and Broad plan to spend $60 million injecting education into the presidential debates.

Money talks. Expect Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani and the others to start talking about education as though it was always at the foremost of their minds. Just know our governor was there first.

Indeed, Gregoire herself recounts a story that places her in soft lighting but also serves as a headline for her tenure as leader of our state.

The narrative goes like this: One day, a group of lobbyists came to her office and one brought along her 11-year-old daughter. Everyone went around the table introducing themselves and their professional title. When it came to the young girl, she gave her name and for a job title said, "I'm just a kid."

"Nice to meet you," the governor replied. "But I have to correct you on something. In my budget, you are more than a kid, you're the centerpiece."

Cue the violins if that pleases you. But I'm sure I'm not the only one fed up with pitiless leadership that hews blindly to the fiscal bottom line. I'm predicting a political future full of Gregoire and her type.

Lynne K. Varner's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is lvarner@seattletimes.com