OLYMPIA — Gov. Christine Gregoire suffered her first major defeat of the 2008 Legislature on Thursday when her push for drunken-driving checkpoints died without enough support from lawmakers.
Gregoire's proposal would have let police stop all motorists on certain stretches of road to check for drunken drivers, after getting a local judge's approval. Gregoire said that could save about 50 lives a year, based on successes in nearly 40 other states that have similar programs.
Gregoire, who is running for a second term this fall against Republican Dino Rossi, heavily promoted the checkpoint plan at the Capitol, lobbying for it in her State of the State speech and sending high-powered supporters to its public hearing.
But the plan encountered strong, bipartisan resistance in the Legislature. Critics said the Washington constitution's privacy protections, which are stronger than those in federal law, prohibit police searches without a greater degree of suspicion. ...
