Kaine likely to serve full term

STAUNTON — Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday that he has told President-elect Obama that he plans to stay put for the final year of his term rather than accept a post in the new administration.

“I thought about it and talked to president-elect,’’ Kaine said in between stops in Augusta County and Staunton as part of Cabinet Community Day. “I’ve got a commitment and I should serve my full term.’’

Once considered a frontrunner for the No. 2 spot on the Obama ticket, Kaine proved a key figure in the Illinois Democrat’s historic run to the White House. Kaine endorsed Obama early, served as his national campaign co-chairman and campaigned tirelessly for him in Virginia and elsewhere.

Rumors have swirled in recent weeks that Kaine – like Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate – might be tapped as attorney general.

Kaine’s exit from Richmond would create a quandary for state Democrats, elevating Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to governor and providing him and the GOP a boost in next fall’s gubernatorial race.

Kaine, though, is not so sure his future lies in elected office. As the former managing director of a Richmond law firm, mayor of Richmond and now Virginia governor, Kaine said he envisions running a nonprofit venture in education.

“I will want to use that executive experience,’’ the governor said.

While Virginia went blue last week, backing Obama and electing Democrat Mark Warner by a landslide margin in the U.S. Senate race, Kaine still considers the commonwealth to be an independent state.

“The biggest bunch of people are independent,’’ said Kaine, who attributes the Democratic success in the Old Dominion since 2001 to candidates who offered “solutions and problem-solving.”

Good governace, Kaine said, is a strong political strategy. In addition being ranked as the best-managed state in the country, Virginia has maintained its AAA bond rating.

Nevertheless, Kaine will have to make some tough decisions in the next few weeks about further budget cuts because of a $2.5-billion state revenue shortfall.

Revelations of a budget gap surfaced over the summer in the days preceding Obama’s selection of Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., as his running mate. Some observers have speculated that the news hurt Kaine’s chances.

“Virginia is doing better than most,’’ Kaine said during his first stop at Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center in Fishersville, referring to Virginia’s diverse manufacturing, agriculture and high-tech economy. “There will be some real painful decisions. Less taxes are being paid.”

The governor said an expert has told him the real estate slump could lift by spring, possibly easing the strain on the economy.

But early indications are that the Christmas shopping season will be bleak for retailers.

Kaine said deliveries of Christmas toys into Virginia ports for Target and Wal-Mart have been fewer than usual.

“It’s not looking like a robust Christmas,’’ the governor said.

On Thursday, Kaine and his cabinet spent the day touring several different destinations in Augusta County and Staunton. The governor and his aides mingled with clients at the Wilson Rehabilitation Center who were undergoing physical therapy for strokes and other injuries.

Kaine, who first visited the center as lieutenant governor in 2002, said he wanted to return because “it is a wonderful facility.”

He said on the first visit, his then 12-year-old son better understood the importance of politics after seeing the people helped at the center.

Later, the governor stopped at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum in Staunton.

The governor got a chance to look at the library’s greatly increased collection of memorabilia, which now includes a swatch of cloth worn to President Jefferson’s inaugural ball and letters from Benjamin Franklin.

Kaine told museum officials that Wilson’s visionary work with the League of Nations, Federal Reserve system and other ventures may soon be looked at again.

The governor also painted contrasts between the Bush Administration and what people can expect under Obama. Kaine said he does not expect Obama to test executive power in the fashion of Bush.

“Barack taught constitutional law. He has some understanding of checks and balances in government,’’ Kaine said.

Later, the governor and his cabinet visited Staunton’s American Shakespeare Cente where they watched scenes from classic works of the playwright, including King Lear, Richard II and Twelfth Night.