Sarah Palin

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To view more cartoons by Politicker.com editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe, click here.

To view more cartoons by Politicker.com editorial cartoonist Rob Tornoe, click here.

The Oregon Senate debate was for the most part a display of two seasoned, well polished politicians. However, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith (R-Pendleton) came up with the one noticeable gaff of the night.

"I met Sarah Palin once," Smith said. "She's a lovely person, she's a great governor of California."

Smith was answering a question asked by Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian regarding whether he thought Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, was prepared to be president of the United States. Republicans have pushed the idea that Palin, the governor of Alaska, has extensive governing experience after being her state's chief executive.

"Governor Schwarzenegger is going to be very surprised to find he's been succeeded by Governor Palin," Smith's challenger, Jeff Merkley (D-Portland), said.

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Avoiding the press when running for office can cost you politically.  When you cannot answer questions about why you want to represent constituents one of the highest held offices in the country you end up on PolitickerOR.com's Losers list.  And we're not talking about Sarah Palin.

To view a larger version of this cartoon, click here.

To view a larger version of this cartoon, click here.

Both partisanship and Beaver fans have something to celebrate this week in Oregon.  House Republican Matt Wingard shows his true colors and Senator Ron Wyden tries to keep the streets safe in rural Oregon.  Here are this week's Winners & Losers.