Rob McKenna cozies up to Tim Eyman

Guess what?

The state Attorney General's Office, under new leadership, has switched sides in part of the long-running court battle over voter-approved Initiative 776.

Last year, under Democrat Christine Gregoire, the state's lawyers argued that, although the initiative repealed Sound Transit's motor-vehicle excise tax in 2002, the agency could continue to collect the tax until 2028.

A King County Superior Court judge agreed. The judge's ruling was appealed.

This week, in a brief filed with the state Supreme Court, the Attorney General's Office — now led by Republican Rob McKenna — argued the justices should in effect order Sound Transit to end the tax years earlier.

Rob McKenna is cozying up to Tim Eyman, and taking aim at Sound Transit. Guess how Tim feels about that?

The sponsor of I-776, Tim Eyman, said he was "giddy" about the state's new stance: "There's a new sheriff in town," he said of McKenna.

The new attorney general, elected last November, was a harsh critic of Sound Transit's Seattle light-rail project when he served on the agency's board from 1996 through 2001, and was frequently at odds with a majority of the board.

It's very unfortunate that Rob McKenna was elected as Attorney General. Of the four candidates vying for the office last year, he was the worst possible candidate, and yet he won. We would have liked to see Mark Sidran win in the primary, but unfortunately, he didn't win, and Deborah Seen ran a dismal campaign in the general election.

Sound Transit's chairman is unhappy with the state's new position:

Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg, who also is Sound Transit's board chairman, said he was both surprised and disappointed by the new brief. "It's a political statement, frankly, by the attorney general, and that's inappropriate," he said. "The attorney general is supposed to give unbiased legal advice, not political advice."

But Jim Pharris, senior assistant attorney general and chief author of the brief, said McKenna's history with Sound Transit played no part in shaping the state's new argument.

Oh, come on, Jim! Surely you don't expect anyone to actually believe that bullshit you're spinning. This is political. All political.

Rob McKenna and Tim Eyman are GOP shills who want to destroy Sound Transit. They won't stop until the agency is stripped of revenue and is forced to stop its light rail, commuter bus, and bus programs.