February 2, 2008 [LINK / comment]
Virginia Rep. Tom Davis announced he won't seek reelection this fall, which I think is a shame. The departure of yet another moderate-pragmatic from GOP ranks confirms the ongoing ideological constriction of the Republican Party, as the all-important fall presidential campaign approaches. The Washington Post noted that Davis began his career in politics as a campaigner for Richard Nixon (!) in 1972, debating on college campuses. Later in life, he moved toward the Center. He has represented Fairfax County in the House since 1995 (part of the Newt Gingrich-led "Republican Revolution"), and earned a reputation as a very serious, capable leader who made deals and got things done on Capitol Hill. He supported voting rights for the District of Columbia, as a matter of principle, rather unlike most others in his party. He also promoted transportation solutions in Northern Virginia and was an advocate of getting a baseball team relocated to the Washington area. As chairman of the House Reform Committee, he played a leading role in the hearings on drug use by baseball players in March 2005.
Even though Davis has been, like Senator John Warner, fairly disgusted with the rightward lurch by the Virginia Republican Party in recent years, I'm fairly sure that, when the time is right, Davis will resume an active role in party politics once again.
One of my New Year's resolutions is to get back in the game of blog commenting, and yet somehow I haven't managed to do much about it thus far. So, I replied to the question posed by Chris Graham at The New Dominion as to whether John McCain would "continue to be the media darling" if he makes it to the fall campaign. Chris just announced he is running for Waynesboro City Council.