Virginia senators oppose tobacco tax

As Congress works to expand health insurance coverage to millions of additional American children, Virginia's two U.S. senators registered their opposition to plans to pay for the expansion with an increase in the tobacco tax.

Republican Sen. John Warner and Democratic Sen. Jim Webb both said they could not support increasing a tax that they said is paid disproportionately by the poor.

``I have consistently supported increasing health insurance coverage for children and pregnant mothers from low-income families," Warner said. ``However, I am concerned about relying solely on revenues from new tobacco taxes, which are especially regressive in targeting those citizens who can least afford higher fees."

Webb spokeswoman Jessica Smith said a tax increase on cigarettes ``is both unfair and regressive." About half of the nation's smokers, she said, come from the same families that would be eligible for expanded government insurance coverage.

Webb `` is examining other sources of revenue and is considering a possible amendment to the bill," Smith said.

No word on whether the senators were influenced by cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris USA, which is headquartered in Richmond.

Wooing Hillary

Republican Sen. John Warner, known for his Southern gentility, offered high praise-- and a backhanded slap-- at New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

At a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Clinton-- the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination-- agreed to give Warner a few minutes to ask questions before taking her turn at the microphone.

``Senator Clinton, may I thank you for that courtesy," the Virginian gushed. ``You know, the many years that you've been on this committee, that's the hallmark of your service: courtesy and respect. And you've been a good strong working partner through the years."

Then came the kicker: ``We don't want to lose you."

Losing Clinton in the Senate, of course, would mean Clinton winning the White House next year.

Clinton laughed, but offered no comment.

Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, the Democratic committee chairman, then came to her defense.

``Your time is up, Senator Warner," Levin said, to another round of laughter.

Bolling for the U.S. Senate?

The rumor has been on the blogs for a few weeks that Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is aiming for a U.S. Senate run in 2008, assuming incumbent John Warner does not seek reelection.

The likely reason: Congressman Tom Davis is an odds-on candidate to run if Warner opts out, and the more conservative wing of the Republican Party would want an alternative.

Bolling hasn't confirmed the rumors, but he's not knocking them down, either.

The rumor became active after Bolling spoke to a blogger's conference at Christopher Newport University. He said he always told his wife that he would never run for an office with a two-year term and never move to Washington. Then he said he was rethinking the Washington part. (Thanks to Bearing Drift for this tidbit.)

Another blog, Raising Kaine, recently had an entertaining oddsmakers feature about likely U.S. Senate candidates. Bolling came off at 10-1.

And last week, at a conference sponsored by UVA's Center for Politics, there was some good-natured speculation about who would run for which office in 2008 and 2009. Bolling's name was thrown out as a possible Senate candidate.

The one winner in such a scenario would be Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a likely candidate for governor in 2009. if Bolling doesn't have that race on his agenda, it gives McDonnell a clear -- or clearer -- path to the nomination.

Then again, we could see a titanic McDonnell-George Allen showdown. We really don't know, but it's fun to speculate, and it just gets curiouser and curiouser.

Want to see the governor naked?

!Hah! Made you look!

The headline is technically true, but only in a PG sense. Still, you might want to check out what inspired it: a web site expressing yet more outrage over the new abusive driver fees.

It is called His Excellency's New Clothes, and it features a doctored photo of Gov. Tim Kaine, House Speaker Bill Howell and House Republican Leader H. Morgan Griffith. It was taken at a recent press conference where all three men urged patience with the new fees, which have angered Virginians just about everywhere.

The Kaine photo shows the governor's head on top of a shirtless, hairy, fat guy. While the view is from the belly up, the Web site purports to tell the full frontal truth: that it was a huge mistake to authoriize expensive penalities that apply to Virginia drivers only.

The images of Howell and Griffith were left untouched, and we support such restraint. Could've done without seeing the governor like that, quite frankly.

But if you want to visit the site, it's rated PG and can be seen here. No word yet on who authorized it, other than a disclaimer saying it doesn't come from a candidate or a candidate's committee, and private citizens paid for it.

Kaine, by the way, was on the radio this morning up in Northern Virginia fielding yet more questions about the fees. When asked if he had anticipated the backlash, he replied: "I cannot say that I did."

Most of the 140 members of the General Assembly could probably say the same thing.

Yep, it's official. Bill backs Mitt.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling has endorsed fellow Republican Mitt Romney for president. When you think about it, the call makes sense.

Bolling is a conservative who is polishing his credentials for a run at higher office. You couldn't see him backing Rudy Giuliani, who is pro-gay rights, pro-choice and pro-gun control. John McCain has moved to the right since 2000, actively courting conservatives, but his campaign is flagging and operatives are jumping ship.

Fellow Virginian Jim Gilmore is out of the race, and while Fred Thompson may be a conservative, he's not yet a candidate. (By the way, whatever happened to the prediction that Thompson would declare by July 4th? Anybody know? Just asking.)

Bolling will serve as Romney's campaign chair in Virginia and Romney says he's happy to have Bolling at his side.

"Washington is in his backyard," said Romney in a press release, "and he knows as well as anyone that it needs to be taken apart and put back together by implementing policies that make sense for American families."

Sen. Stolle's proud of voting to raise taxes

The public uproar over the state's new "civil remedial fees" charged against abusive drivers has created some interesting moments in the past few weeks, but if you clicked your radio on over lunch today, you could be forgiven for shaking your head.

First it was Sen. Ken Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, reacting to an angry caller who accused the General Assembly of refusing to make tough decisions.

By way of defense, Stolle bragged: "I have voted for tax increases for transportation on at least two or three occasions."

Granted Stolle's in the Senate, where lawmakers have put together several unsuccessful transportation plans in the past few years, but was that really a Virginia Republican boasting about trying to raise taxes?

Then Del. Brian Moran, D-Fairfax, came on to blast the abuser fees -- those same abuser fees that Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine signed into law. The same Kaine whose political action committee has something like $1.3 million to spend on election campaigns this fall.

Kaine is trying to calm the political firestorm -- while defending the abusive driving fees -- so it will be interesting to see how he works with Moran and Democratic candidates who want to beat up their opponents for supporting the abuser fees.

Thanks to Hearsay with Cathy Lewis for having me on as part of the discussion.  To listen to a recording of the show, click here.

Romney stopping in Richmond to say hi to Bill Bolling

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is making a jaunt through Virginia tomorrow, starting with a quick visit in Richmond with Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling.

Bolling and Romney are holding a "media availability," with no topic listed on the agenda. You've gotta wonder if they just want to hug or if Bolling is going to throw his weight behind the Romney campaign.

Romney could use some news to keep him running with the pack pursuing the GOP nomination for 2008, especially when the guy with the most buzz -- Fred Thompson -- hasn't even entered the race yet.

But you also have to wonder how much mileage Romney can get out of an endorsement from Virginia's lieutenant governor (if that is what this turns out to be).

After the "media availability" -- which, according to Romney's press release, is "open to the press" -- Romney will head on down to Virginia Beach for a 7 p.m. "finance event." This one, no surprise, is closed to the press.

Drake vote on troops likely to be the stuff of commercials

The House Armed Services Committee voted this afternoon to approve a bill that would ensure that members of the military get as much time at home as they spend deployed to Iraq -- a measure first suggested by Sen. Jim Webb (whose proposal didn't survive a Republican filibuster).

Today's committee vote followed party lines, and our local Republican members -- Thelma Drake and Randy Forbes -- voted with their party, against the bill.

And you can already imagine the way those votes will be depicted by the DCCC and MoveOn.org -- "Rep. Thelma Drake voted against giving members of the military as much time at home as they spend fighting a war."

I used Drake's name as the example because she's already been targeted several times by similar ads -- and for a sound strategic reason. Drake is considered vulnerable; the Democrats want her seat.

She might have had that thought herself: Friday afternoon, she introduced an amendment that would have made the measure advisory. Taking that action will at least allow her to say that she tried to find a workable compromise -- something that would take care of the troops without tying the generals' -- or the president's -- hands.

But making the measure advisory also would have effectively made it meaningless, because equal time at home is already the Pentagon's preferred policy. The military just can't follow that policy and meet the current Iraq manpower demands.

So be on the lookout for the commercials. And for Drake's response.

Kaine: Drivers could be reimbursed for abusive driver fees

Gov. Tim Kaine has taken a lot of heat in recent days and weeks over the reviled and ridiculed "civil remedial fees" that are part of the transportation plan that he and the General Assembly approved earlier this year.

He may be starting to melt.

The Associated Press is reporting that Kaine said that, come the 2008 session, the General Assembly might consider reimbursing people who have paid the fees.

"Look, we might have the ability to do reimbursements," he told reporters. "I'm not going to commit to that, but if there's a decision made by the legislature, that's one option they could consider."

The governor is throwing out the possibility as a way to quiet the critics who are calling for an outright -- and immediate -- repeal of the legislation. If reimbursement is an option, the critics might give Kaine and the legislature until January to fix the trans bill.

Think it's going to work?

Think the governor is about to be called for flagrant flip-flopping?

Gilmore the blogger launches "The Virginia Patriot"

Former presidential candidate and former Gov. Jim Gilmore has set up a new blog, The Virginia Patriot (thanks to Bacon's Rebellion and others for passing the word).

Only one post from the guv so far, but he does seem to be keeping close eye on his comment board. His "Welcome to my blog" post went up this morning and quickly drew four comments. Gilmore responded to each of them within about 15 minutes.