In an article titled "Assessing the 2012 Senate Battlefield," national politics site Real Clear Politics identifies U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell as "Potentially Vulnerable"

Manchin (WV), Casey (PA), Kohl (WI), Stabenow (MI), Cantwell (WA). The fate of these five senators probably depends on the national environment. If the political environment fails to improve for Democrats or worsens, I think we can expect Casey, Kohl and Stabenow to be in extremely rough shape on Election Day, given the way their state parties fared in 2010 against some mediocre GOP nominees. Manchin's fate will depend on his voting record; while I expect him to be anything but a reliable Democratic vote, his margin for error is going to be pretty small in a presidential year.

As for Cantwell, the GOP always seems to come up short in Washington. Such was the case in 2010 and in 2006 (when Cantwell looked vulnerable until her opponent imploded). Nevertheless, there are a few GOPers who could give her a good race in the right environment, and the Washington state GOP seems ready to move on from its Dino Rossi phase.

While the Washington Sate GOP would definitely be wise to move on from its "Dino Rossi phase" (although twice for governor, why not twice for U.S. Senate?), there is problem with that. As the Republicans themselves have asked before, who else have they got? With Rob McKenna cued up for a 2012 guberanatorial run, they don't have a deep bench.