Call A Plumber

For the last week, we had been told that the governor's race here in Virginia was too close to call. In the end, however, Democrat Tim Kaine pulled out a comfortable 52%-46%n win over Republican Jerry Kilgore (independent Russ Potts took 2% of the vote). Analysts are giving much of the credit for Kaine's triumph to incumbent Mark Warner, who campaigned heavily on his fellow Democrat's behalf. Warner is leaving office with tremendous popularity, and this win is a major boost to his stature and likely presidential bid in 2008.

52%? Hmmm.... It seems Kaine's mandate is twice as big as Bush's!

On the other hand, the win by a Democrat in Virginia is potentially very bad news for Republicans nationwide. The entire House of Representatives is up for re-election next year, and the party's majority may be in jeopardy. Virginia is a heavily Republican state (it's been won by the Republican candidate in every presidential election since 1968). With Bush's popularity continuing to take a beating, it is becoming increasingly apparent that he is beginning to drag down the entire party.

In fact, the President returned early from his South America trip just so he could make a appearance on Kilgore's behalf. But this was intended as more than just a campaign appearance; it was also a gamble by Bush to reverse his slide down the toilet. Had Kilgore pulled out a win, Bush could have claimed credit and finally brought some good news to his beleaguered presidency.

But it was not to be, and the water in Bush's toilet continues to swirl faster and faster.