The reviews are in: Rivers hits a home run.

I've always supported Ann Rivers. And yes, in the interests of full disclosure, she is my business partner.

So, for many, it means little when I say that if, as a state representative, she couldn't cut it, I would flay away at her like I do Ridgefield Barbie; who while not an abysmal failure, did have a tenure marked by the passage of a single bill; while showing herself as a SEIU sell out and her efforts to help the democrats strip out the last $229 million from our emergency fund marked her as a decidedly dullard-type politician.

Rivers on the other hand, is that rare quality of politician, one motivated more by accomplishment than by the self-aggrandizement of the Barbie variety.

Her first week in her first legislative session was of an almost rock-star quality rare in the political realm.

The Daily News has some of the low-down. Rivers shows herself as a legislator we can be proud of.

Nice job, rookie

Thumbs up: Washington state Republicans can take a bow for their less than "conservative" thinking in allowing 18th District Rep. Ann Rivers, a "rookie" from La Center just a few days into her first term, to present the GOP's official rebuttal to Gov. Chris Gregoire's State of the State speech earlier this week.

While there were certainly some Republican veterans who would have welcomed the showcase, House Minority Leader Richard DeBolt looked to the future in pointing the spotlight toward a new face. DeBolt and other Republican leaders in Olympia talk boldly about how they eventually expect to command a legislative majority. The selection of Rivers shows they know they can't reach that status without creating some new stars and flag-bearers.

Long apprenticeships aren't mandatory in today's Washington politics. Clark County Republican Jaime Herrera Buetler, a 30-year-old, first-term state legislator just two years ago, now is a first-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rivers admitted she was working on her speech long before she received a copy of Gregoire's and didn't do much actual rebutting. It's also difficult under any circumstances to match words and stage presence with Gregoire, a smart, skilled speechmaker.

More important than what Rivers said was that she was chosen to say it and the political thinking that led to the choice.

All of these things are true. And we can all expect great things from Rivers in the future... things where she will actually accomplish something for the people she represents... unlike her predecessor.

Cross posted at 18th District View and Clark County Politics.