Three Up; Three Down

THREE UP
A new king is rising among Virginia Democrats, and he is not the current governor. Senate candidate and former Gov. Mark Warner has plucked a keynote speaking spot at the Democratic Convention in Denver, an indicator of his soaring status in the national party. Warner’s campaign against Republican Jim Gilmore has been in cruise control almost from the start, fueled by a robust fundraising acumen that has left his contender in the shadows.
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Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, along with the Bush administration, long has pushed for a missile defense shield in Europe. On the heels of Russia’s bullying of Georgia, Poland has gotten onboard with the idea. That’ll give Vladimir Stalin, er Putin, something to think about.
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The ubiquitous Michael Phelps cannot be escaped, not even in this spot. All the swimmer has done is win seven gold medals (at this writing). He’s won 12 in his Olympic career, a record that has some proclaiming him the greatest Olympian ever. Only Carl Lewis or Jesse Owens could argue.

THREE DOWN
So after having been caught with his pants down (literally, almost), two-time presidential hopeful John Edwards reveals what everyone except a fawning press corps knew: that he had a fling with a videographer while his wife was recovering from cancer. Now, the word is he lied even in his revelation, presumably to cover up further lies to his wife. Should we have expected better from the trial lawyer whose legal lies helped triple the rate of Caesarean sections?
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It’s already been a long year for Augusta County Schools and the school year has not even begun. Skyrocketing energy costs have forced officials to consider cuts to junior varsity sports programs. Now the district is considering shutting down two elementary schools. When it rains, it drenches.
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What exactly was President Bush looking at when he peered into the eyes of Vladimir Putin? And where is Ronald Reagan when we need him? Putin, no longer the president but still the string-puller, is making Russia over into a mirror image of its Soviet self. He sent Russian tanks to Georgia, an American ally with a democratically elected president. Perhaps Bush needs to invite Putin to the ranch in Crawford for another round of soul-gazing.