John Warner, A Virginian's Virginian

To take his leave at the Rotunda on the campus of the University of Virginia, this was an inspired thought.

Senator Warner represented for most Virginians an ideal of what they should be.  Not everyone agrees with all his positions, but the character of the man is such that there are not many who will be happy with his departure.  I am lucky enough to possess a small store of anecdotes concerning him but I will keep those to myself in spite of the fact that all of the stories speak well of him.

He says that he will continue to serve.  I believe that.

What will happen now?

The Republican Party in Virginia has a sorry recent history of choosing candidates who in some way represent the aspirations of the national party but not the traditional preferences of the Republican electorate of the Old Dominion.  I expect that the national party and its operatives in Virginia will attempt to continue this tradition.

Accordingly I would think that the apparatchiks will want to see George Allen succeed Warner.  Allen is the national party's man.  Opposing him for the nomination will be Representative Tom Davis.  If the party nominates Davis, there will be a much more competitive contest for the senate.

The Democrats are going to run a former governor, Mark Warner or perhaps Gerald Baliles.

If I were a betting man (with money) I would look to see a Warner/Davis contest in '08.  pl

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Comments

[Cujo359]

They're thinking of running George Allen again? I'd have thought that the "Macaca" incident and some of the other revelations of Allen's boorish behavior would have doomed his political chances for good.

[Paul]

Senator Warner was a fine Southern gentleman who made his points in a polite and refined manner. I cannot help but feel that he will - till his dying day - regret the pass he gave Rumsfeld and the rest of those liars at DOD when he led the Abu Graib hearings. Perhaps he was too polite with them.

[J]

Colonel,

two things that sen. warner did that will harm our nation (until they're repealed at some future point, if any) -- 1 - the military commissions act, and --2 - Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007"

thanks to sen. warner not standing up to bush and cheney, our nation's citizenry no longer have the protections provided to them they once had under the posse comitatus act of 1878

sen. warner and other members of congress have allowed the broadsword of war to be turned inward on the citizenry at the whim of a president.

[lina]

Like Scarlett O'Hara's way of life, Sen. Warner's style of politics is gone with the wind. It ended when Karl Rove was placed in charge of domestic policy in the Bush White House. Civility, compromise, and collegiality are so quaint (like the Geneva Conventions). You're probably the only one, Col., who will remember Sen. Warner for his good traits. The rest of us will sweep him into the pile of Congressmen who stood by and watched while the Bush-Rove-Cheney machine ran over America.

[Montag]

At least Senator Warner didn't pull a Strom Thurmond and stay on until he'd become a joke. He instead obeyed the first law of show business and politics--always leave them wanting more of you, not less of you.

[ked]

a man out of his time, grew into duty from WWII to WWForever. if only cohorts played to his standards, honored the nation's legacy, worked toward the common good - not to mention oratory. he gave it the good ole colonial try. why the hell did everyone go to Texas, anyway?

[mlaw230]

John Warner has served Virginia and the Nation well, and has probably done as much or more than any current politician to preserve the institution of the Senate, so that those "quaint" virtues can be reclaimed when the current administration passes.

I seldom agree with his point of view, but he has been consistent and honorable throughout his career. We need more of that from both sides.

[searp]

Sen. Warner departed from Republican orthodoxy, but infrequently. I applauded when he came out against Ollie North, and that swung my vote his way.

I have subsequently regretted it.

Sen. Warner had multiple opportunities to speak out on detainee policy and chose to back the Guantanamo facility to the hilt.

Sen. Warner has been a reliable vote for the President's policies during the entire Bush tenure. Where is the compromise in that? Where is the collegiality in that?

Nope, the times called for Republican legislators with either more courage or more clear insight into the nature of this President's policies.

Sen. Warner stayed one term too long, and like Colin Powell, has tarnished his legacy.

[mike]

Let's hope the Governor wins the seat. If he conducts his business in the Senate the way he ran the VA statehouse, then he will be a star. How old is he - or better said, how old will he be in the 2016 presidential race?

It has been 86 years since we had a Virginian in the White House. 86 years is much too long. Virginia is for good reason known as: "the Mother of Presidents".

mike

[Bill H.]

Hmmmm, I thought the "apparatchik" candidate was Jim Gilmore, another former governor? T'would be an interesting race indeed, if Gilmore ran against M. Warner, the governor who helped to clean up the fiscal mess that Gilmore left the Commonwealth in. If Davis gets the nod instead, there could be blowback from the Confederate lovers in the VA GOP, since he is from a part of the state with too many "Not Real Virginians",
i.e. the DC suburbs.