Now that the Democrats appear to be surging in Oregon, picking up seats in both houses of the state legislature and winning control of the state Senate for the first time in a decade, Governor Ted Kulongoski seems more confident in defending Oregon from attacks by the federal government. The Oregonian's Joe Rojas-Burke reports on one way the Democrat is speaking his mind:

Gov. Ted Kulongoski, on the heels of a fiery Monday speech at the statehouse in which he criticized federal environmental policies, told the Bush administration Friday he would sue unless federal agencies make hydropower dam operations less destructive to salmon.

Kulongoski's action adds considerable weight to the side of fishing and conservation groups, which are challenging the administration's recent conclusion that federal dams in the Columbia Basin pose no threat of driving endangered salmon to extinction.

Kulongoski on Friday said he was "gravely concerned" the administration's approach to salmon protection "abandons any effort to achieve recovery of Columbia and Snake River salmon and steelhead populations."

Greens and outdoorsmen (hunters and fishermen) do not always see eye to eye on all issues, but when they do it can lead to great successes for the Democrats (just look at this year's results from Montana and Colorado). By combining the goals of the environmentalists with those of the fishermen in the state, Kulongoski just took a giant step towards ensuring his reelection -- and perhaps a giant leap towards helping the Democrats retake the state House of Representatives in 2006.