Attempting to find middle ground in what’s perhaps understated as a contentious situation – closing a near half-billion dollar budget shortfall for the two-year state budget cycle ending June 2013 – Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire reached for a compromise Thursday. The Associated Press reports Gregoire’s plan would, “encapsulate many of the Legislature’s contentious proposals into one package.”While the governor declined to specifically say what form her package would take, Gregoire says in the article there are six major issues still at play, including proposals to raise taxes, and that “negotiators have to get away from working through each issue one at a time.”Perhaps as a sign of good faith, or of good things to come, Gregoire began putting pen to paper on more than 100 pieces of legislation which she had been previously threatening to veto if no budget deal was reached. The AP story says Gregoire believes enough progress has been made to move forward minus the threats.However, the story isn’t absent of the seemingly ever-present political cliffhanger.As the AP reports:”In the next 48 hours, we could have an agreement,” Gregoire said. “In the next 48 hours, it could fall apart.”Hopefully it doesn’t fall apart before I get this posted.