Anyone who watches television can’t have missed the ads implying that Gregoire’s opponent, Republican Dino Rossi, is willing to let sick people die rather than support research that might – by manipulating undeveloped stem cells – lead to cures.

One ad, quite dishonestly, suggests that Rossi is against all stem cell research, when in fact he’s balked only at embryonic stem cell research. Some of the most promising recent discoveries have involved adult stem cells, though this line of research is in its infancy.

Like many, we believe the medical potential of embryonic stem cells ought to be explored, though we aren’t inclined to ridicule those who have moral qualms about destroying human embryos.

Gregoire’s ads raise a different and decidedly nonscientific question: cynicism. She is counting on Washingtonians to have short memories. She mounted precisely the same attacks against Rossi four years ago, describing stem cells as “penicillin for the 21st century.” At the time, Rossi called her stem cell rhetoric a “political ploy.” Events soon proved him right.

During the campaign, she repeatedly promised to establish a state-funded institute dedicated to stem cell research. Within weeks of taking office, she basically said, “Never mind.” She proposed – and secured from the Legislature – a Life Sciences Discovery Fund to stimulate biological research in general. But the whole institute idea, a central tenet of her campaign, was unceremoniously abandoned.

In theory, her life-sciences program could fund stem cell research. In reality, it hasn’t disbursed a dime for it. “It’s not a focus,” said Lee Huntsman, the Gregoire appointee who runs the fund.

Long story short: Stem cell research was little more than a political weapon in the 2004 governor’s race. Given the speed with which Gregoire dropped her institute proposal after that election, it can be regarded today only as a political weapon – one that relies on collective amnesia about what she actually delivered last time. Politicians always make promises when they run for office. Not many make promises they’ve already broken.

Gregoire can point to some genuine accomplishments, including the Life Sciences Discovery Fund itself. And the state faces plenty of real problems – congested highways and the massive projected deficit, for starters.

There’s enough to talk about in this race without resurrecting what apparently was never more than a talking point in the first place.

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