The fact that the Democrat-dominated Washington State Legislature was able to pass a sweeping domestic partnership bill should come as no surprise to even the most casual political observer. What’s surprising is the no-bullshit, “there’s plenty more where that came from” tone struck by gay legislative leaders, most notably Sen. Ed Murray, who’s been telling whoever’s been willing to listen that this bill is merely a first step in the march toward legalizing gay marriage in Washington State. Whether you feel this is tactically savvy or not, you’ve got to admire Murray’s candor and balls, two attributes that are often in short supply in our state’s political stew. Back in the late-90’s, when I was involved in various pushes to mandate child safety locks on handguns statewide, we would have never shown so much of our full agenda’s leg (which, for the most part, was to severely restrict — if not ban outright — handgun ownership in Washington). Granted, Murray’s remarks have the benefit of a far more favorable political and cultural climate, but they’re refreshing nonetheless.