Three Up; Three Down

Three up

CITY GREENWAY: An end of another decade looms, and Waynesboro officials again are discussing the greenway project, which rumor has it was first discussed by Gen. “Mad Anthony” Wayne on his trip through town a dozen decades or so ago. The Mill at South River project would connect with the greenway, which was proposed way back in the 1990s. The idea has languished mysteriously since then, but the rumbling of development life, as we’ve said before, provides cures.

MITCH DANIELS: That crowd wandering in the wilderness is what once was known as the Republican Party. But brighter days may await the GOP. Their man in Virginia, Bob McDonnell, is favored in the state gubernatorial race. And Daniels, the Indiana governor, is emerging in the minds of some as conservatism’s next voice – a Reagan disciple who believes in limited government. Whaddya know?

SCHOOL CHOICE: The idea of letting parents decide where their kids go to school, and whether they’ll have options other than public classrooms, just got a boost from an unlikely source: the Obama administration. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says that if states artificially try to limit charter school growth, they’ll risk losing a slice of some hefty stimulus pie. So choice isn’t just about abortion after all.

Three down

SMOKIN’: Okay, bub, is that Camel FDA-approved? It’ll have to be once President Barack Obama signs a bill giving the federal Food and Drug Administration authority over cigarettes. People who care about trifling things like health are buoyed. Critics say it will hurt small tobacco. Big tobacco can’t be thrilled, either. But what about the prez, who’s known to take a drag or two? The bill, he said, “truly defines change in Washington.” He then disappeared into his private smoking lounge.

DAVID LETTERMAN: OK, Dave, now if you want to see something really funny, check out those ratings. Hahaha. Wow, Nielsen can list those in minuses? Maybe cracking on a teenage girl will pull the numbers out of the toilet. Call it a Stupid Host Trick: Letterman rips off tasteless jokes about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s daughter, then winds up with egg on his face.

SAY IT AIN’T SO, JOE: The Gaffe Man cometh. This time ’round, Veep Biden vowed that Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor could be counted on to rule in cops’ favor: “Judge Sotomayor has your back,” Ol’ Joe told law enforcement groups. That sparked criticism from legal experts, saying Biden had spoken out of turn and pledged judicial bias. President Barack Obama responded by checking out one-way flights to Guam.