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Sen. Barack Obama has added a Lynchburg appearance with Sen. Jim Webb to his pass through Virginia this Wednesday. Webb and Obama will hold a town hall meeting with voters, which will focus on improving the economy and Obama's plans for a tax cut for middle-class families and $4,000 in college tuition tax credits, according to the campaign. The event is free and open to the public. Earlier Wednesday, Obama and former Gov. Mark R. Warner will visit Martinsville. There, they will meet with workers and families who have been affected by what the Obama campaign calls the "failed trade...

Only Sen. Barack Obama knows who he is going to pick for his vice president. Well, that is probably not exactly true. The two Davids’ (Axelrod and Plouffe) and wife Michelle probably know as well. The Drudge Report is suggesting that Obama's pick might become public as early as Tuesday, Aug. 19. In celebration of that event, Drudge is running a poll for readers to guess who that nominee will be, with Sen. Evan Bayh, Sen. Joe Biden, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Sen. John Kerry, Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn and a wild card making the Drudge short...

Obama Appears Ready to Announce His Running Mate By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY WASHINGTON — Senator Barack Obama has all but finalized his choice for a running mate and set an elaborate roll-out plan for his decision, beginning with an early morning alert to supporters, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, followed by a trip to swing states by the new Democratic ticket, aides said. Mr. Obama’s deliberations remain remarkably closely held. Aides said perhaps a half-dozen advisers were involved in the final discussions in an effort to enforce a command that Mr. Obama issued to staff: that his decision...

The Talk Shows Sunday, August 17th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; former Gov. Tom Ridge, R-Pa.; Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.; White House press secretary Dana Perino.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Govs. Bobby Jindal, R-La., and Tim Kaine, D-Va.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind.; Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn. THIS WEEK (ABC): Defense Secretary Robert Gates; former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass.; former Sen. Tom Daschle, D-S.D.LATE EDITION (CNN) : Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Reps. Eric...

Last night on MSNBC's Countdown the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza joined Keith Olbermann to analyze Barack Obama's choice of running mate. Cillizza, who wrote a companion post today titled, "The Case for Joe Biden," argues that the process of elimination has left Joe Biden as the hottest candidate (and possibly the only candidate) left in the pool. Senator Evan Bayh, Olbermann reasoned, might be eliminated because if he did become Vice President, his state's Governor is a Republican who would select a Republican to succeed Bayh. As for Kaine--as Tommy Christopher posted earlier--the announcement that former Virginia Governor and current...

Virginia's cash crunch is going from bad to worse, possibly shorting the state budget another $1 billion and forcing more cuts in services and layoffs. Ahead of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's much-anticipated revenue report to the General Assembly on Monday, lawmakers from both parties are predicting the shortfall for the current two-year, $77 billion budget could reach or surpass $1 billion.

  Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine who is under consideration as a possible running mate for Barack Obama gave the Senator credit for the Russian ceasefire in Georgia.From ABC News' Jake Tapper."The Senator's goal was to be tough and smart," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, "and so when the action (in Georgia) happened on Thursday, he immediately called for a ceasefire, condemned the unwarranted use of force by Russia.  It was a bad crisis for the world.  It required tough words, but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in --...

The choice of former Virginia governor Mark R. Warner to give the Tuesday night keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention is likely to spark a fresh round of speculation about Sen. Barack Obama's vice presidential choice. Warner's selection is unlikely to be good news for current Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who has been a finalist for the running mate job. The prospect of two Virginia governors giving speeches on successive nights at the convention is thought to be unlikely. Obama's running mate, whoever it is, is scheduled to give the keynote on Wednesday. A source close to Kaine said...

Like Jim Geraghty, I think Tim Kaine would make an excellent running mate for Barack Obama. Why, he already has imbibed fully of The One’s Kool-Aid with his analysis of the purpoted Russian cease-fire this morning. Kaine told Fox News that he was glad that Russia listened to Obama’s demand for a cessation of its attack on Georgia: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0njdTjo0b4A&eur It was a bad crisis for the world. It required tough words but also a smart approach to call on the international community to step in. And I’m very, very happy that the Senator’s request for a ceasefire has been complied...

At least 29 states plus the District of Columbia, including several of the nation’s largest states, faced an estimated $48 billion in combined shortfalls in their budgets for fiscal year 2009 (which began July 1, 2008 in most states.) At least three other states expect budget problems in fiscal year 2010. In general, states closed these budget gaps through some combination of spending cuts, use of reserves or revenue increases when they adopted a fiscal year 2009 budget. At this point in the year, most states have already adopted those budgets; only two states — California and Michigan — continue...

ABC News' Jan Crawford Greenburg reports: It was just last week that the McCain VP hysteria was at a fever pitch, after a couple news outlets breathlessly speculated that his running mate selection was imminent. This week, it was an uncharacteristic media blitz around Tim Kaine, after a page one story in the Washington Post that he'd told associates he was on Obama's "short-list" for VP. The Virginia Governor then made the rounds with TV and radio interviews. But before everyone gets ready to anoint Tim Kaine as Obama's VP, consider this startling fact, which has some of the liberal...

McCain’s tough new “celebrity” ad campaign, designed to portray Obama as an empty suit who — like Paris Hilton — is devoid of substance, is the first part of a broader strategy that ultimately could have ramifications for McCain’s VP selection.The campaign will continue to hit hard that Obama is not an agent of change — but a man who merely plays to his audience and is unwilling to risk losing his adoring crowds by making the tough decisions. This is only the first volley, sources close to McCain tell ABC News.There’s a bigger point — and this initial...

<p>As the short lists of potential running mates for John McCain and Barack Obama grow shorter, an intriguing but somewhat unexpected question has emerged: Who would be the worse selection? Mitt Romney or Tim Kaine?</p> <p>Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia seem to have emerged as among the most likely vice presidential choices for their party’s nominees. But both men exacerbate the greatest weaknesses of Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama, respectively, rather than addressing them.</p>

So the news is that Barack Obama will pick Tim Kaine, possibly to the Democrat party ticket as VP. As we all know, Barack Osama has a mere 3 years in the senate. Tim Kaine has more experience than Obama, 4 years as governor of Virginia. I know this would be a pretty novice ticket, but how novice? To find a ticket this inexperienced, I had to go back far, even past Peanut Farmer, as at least his VP, Walter Mondale had 12 years as Senator and 4 years Minnesota AG. The most recent ticket with as little experience as...

<p>RICHMOND (AP) | The chairman of Virginia's Republican Party on Monday sought a statewide probe of what he said was voter registration fraud across a battleground state in this year's presidential race.</p> <p>The chairman, Delegate Jeffrey M. Frederick, Prince William Republican, decried a "widespread problem across the commonwealth" after the arrests of three people last week in Hampton on election fraud charges. He urged Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, a Republican, to begin a statewide investigation.</p>

Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia dodged questions about joining the Obama ticket. Critics speculate on the experience question. Will Kaine bring a new perspective to the race and more importantly is Virgina wrapped up?News Articles on Kaine:Kaine sidesteps VP questions MSNBCVa. Gov. Kaine A Focus In Obama VP Search CBS NewsRepublicans Should Be So Lucky To Face Obama-Kaine National Review OnlineReport- Virginia Gov. Kaine Emerging on Top of Obama’s Short List Fox NewsFirst thoughts- Raising Kaine MSNBCVeepstakes- Kaine's stock up, Hillary's down MSNBCThe Note- Obama, McCain Winnow Veep’s Lists ABC NewsObama meets on No. 2 pick- Kaine? Biden? Bayh? ReutersSources-...

Has Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine's chances of landing the coveted spot as Obama's Veep risen? According to stories at both The Politico and the Washington Post Kaine has risen to the level of serious contender, along with Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Delaware Sen. Joe Biden. The WaPo story has close Kaine associates acknowledging that Kaine has told them that he has had "very serious" conversations with Obama about joining the ticket.

Virginia governor Tim Kaine has told close associates that he has had "very serious" conversations with Sen. Barack Obama about joining the Democratic ticket and has provided documents to the campaign as it combs through his background, according to several sources close to Kaine. . . . Aides to Kaine declined to comment about the possibility that Obama might pick him, referring all questions to the senator's campaign. "The governor has been pretty clear from the beginning, when Senator Obama asked him to be a national co-chair, that any conversation he has with the campaign, on any topic, are conversations...

As Senator Barack Obama turns to the choice of his running mate, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has emerged as one of the campaign’s potential finalists, sources familiar with conversations in Richmond and in Chicago said. Kaine, an early Obama supporter whose biography nicely dovetails with the Illinois senator’s, "ranks very, very high on the short list," said a source who has spoken recently to senior Obama aides about Kaine. Kaine "is getting a critical examination," the source said.

With one word -- no -- Tim Kaine could end the overwrought musings about his presumed vice-presidential ambitions. Because he hasn't, assume that he -- unlike Mark Warner and Jim Webb -- is hot to trot with Barack Obama.

Terry McAuliffe is known for being loyal. As Hillary Clinton’s longtime friend and campaign manager, he battled on her behalf until the bitter end of her long quest for the Democratic presidential nomination. So the former Democratic Party chair made waves this week after he told a crowd of Virginia Democrats the politician he thinks Barack Obama should choose as his vice presidential running mate. It wasn’t Clinton –- a possible clue that the Senator from New York has been bumped from Obama’s list of potential VPs. If you needed a clue. Instead, according to the Falls Church News-Press, McAuliffe...

"They've done real well the past few years," Wilkins said of House Republicans. "I was disappointed when they let Mark Warner talk them into a tax increase" -- a reference to the $1.4 billion rise for cops, schools and welfare that led to the Warner presidential boomlet. That increase in 2004 might not have occurred had Howell not looked the other way. He allowed several Republican anti-taxers to duck a do-or-die vote in the Finance Committee on the Warner package, clearing the way for passage. During Wilkins' brief reign, one usually got the impression the trains were running on time....

Get Kathy Phillips talking about oil exploration off the Mid-Atlantic, and she conjures a scene right out of the Gulf of Mexico, with drilling platforms, pipelines and pumping stations overwhelming the shoreline. "People here on the East Coast don't have a clue what it means to have offshore drilling," said Phillips, an environmental activist with the Assateague Coastal Trust. "It's dirty business. The water is dirty, and your beaches end up being dirty, and you're dealing with globules of oil and globs of tar. "I'm not even talking about oil spills. I'm talking about day-to-day operations." With energy costs continuing...

There continues to be a lot of talk about who the presumptive nominees will pick as their No. 2's.  Today, the GOPNation.com makes our top three predictions for each candidate.  John McCain In no particular order, the top and final three are former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, and former Rep. Ron Portman (OH).   Romney brings to the table lots of money and the ability to raise a lot more for the Republican Party.  His drawback: would McCain really want a former adversary for VP?  At this point in the race, McCain might have no other choice. ...

Good news today from Virginia on offshore drilling. HB6006, a bill that would allow vital oil and natural gas exploration off the Virginia coastline, passed the House of Delegates by 56 to 39. The bill would also use the revenue from the offshore drilling to help pay for Virginia's transportation needs. With Congress refusing to take action to drill here and drill now, it's nice to see the states take some initiative. Delegate Chris Saxman, the bill's author, said this in a press release: “Though federal officials will ultimately decide whether to lift the ban on offshore drilling, it is...

Information Alert: Tax Hikes Averted this Time The General Assembly’s special tax session adjourned around 1:35 this morning with no new tax or fee increases passing. After a day of political gamesmanship, harsh partisan rhetoric and exercises in parliamentary gymnastics, all of the major tax proposals eventually met their demise. The fireworks started early when the House Rules committee met suddenly and voted to send Governor Kaine’s tax hike proposal to the floor. This came a week and a half after the same committee killed the same bill, and after the Governor and House Democrats complained that the process wasn’t...

The Virginia General Assembly yesterday began its latest special session to deal with the state's transportation problems. Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine wants to raise $1 billion per year for transportation through an increase in the motor vehicle sales tax, higher registration fees and a 1-cent sales tax increase for purchases in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads on everything except food and medicine. Mr. Kaine's plan also includes creation of what looks like a huge boondoggle to benefit the politically well-connected. It is called a "Transportation Change Fund," and it would pay for mass transit and rail projects, telecommuting and ride-sharing,...

Civic and social organizations

ROANOKE | The Virginia Lottery has taken in millions of dollars illegally by misrepresenting the prize money available for its "Scratcher" games, according to a Washington & Lee University business professor. Scott Hoover contends that the lottery has not ordered retailers to pull shipments of tickets from Scratcher games after the top prizes have been awarded, meaning players are buying tickets with no chance of winning the largest prize promised on the ticket. John Fishwick, an attorney representing Mr. Hoover, has filed a notice of a claim with the lottery seeking refunds of $84.7 million to those who purchased an...

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - If not for "Meet The Press" and its host, Tim Russert, Jim Webb figures he may not be a United States senator. And a debate moderated by the NBC newsman who died Friday was a turning point in Democrat Timothy M. Kaine's campaign for governor. Both candidates fondly recalled Russert on Saturday at the Virginia Democratic Convention and acknowledged his role in pivotal moments in their 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Webb said his September 2006 appearance alongside Republican Sen. George Allen on "Meet The Press" was the turning point in his narrow, come-from-behind victory over Allen...

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced this afternoon that he will commute the death sentence of convicted triple murderer Percy Levar Walton because he does not believe Walton meets the Supreme Court criteria of mental competence required for an execution to proceed. Walton, now 29, was scheduled to become the 100th convict executed in Virginia since the federal reinstatement of the death penalty in 1976, a capital punishment tally topped only by the justice system in Texas. He was sentenced to death after he admitted killing an elderly couple and another man in their homes over a 10-day period in 1996....

JARRATT, Va. — Lawrence Vaughan didn't get to see his wife's funeral. But after nearly 10 years, he was able to see her killer take his last breaths. Vaughan and his family watched Tuesday as Kevin Green, 31, was executed by lethal injection for killing Patricia Vaughan in August of 1998 when he robbed the store she and her husband owned in rural Brunswick County. Green was pronounced dead at 10:05 p.m. at Greensville Correctional Center. It was Virginia's first execution in nearly two years and the third in the U.S. since the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of lethal...

Swedish furniture maker Ikea celebrated the opening of its first factory in the United States on Wednesday. Swedwood, a subsidiary of home furnishings giant, has 40 plants worldwide. The $281 million plant in Danville, Virginia will employ 300 people by the end of 2009, said Swedwood North America president Bengt Danielsson. Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine was at Wednesday's ceremony to hail the economic boost to the ailing region along the North Carolina border, formerly a stronghold for the tobacco industry. Swedwood received $12 million in incentives from in state and local authorities, as well as the Virginia Tobacco Commission...

RICHMOND (AP) — Gov. Tim Kaine is expected today to announce a tax package to pay for highway construction and the upkeep and repair of state roads and bridges. Mr. Kaine scheduled a news conference at the state capitol to outline details of the bill that he will ask legislators to consider next month. He has called the General Assembly to Richmond beginning June 23 for the second special session on transportation funding in two years. Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, wants regional funding plans to pay for new projects in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia, the state's most populous, fastest-growing...

RICHMOND — The same court that two months ago struck down Virginia's regional transportation-financing plans is now considering a similar case challenging the state's planned transfer of the Dulles Toll Road to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The Virginia Supreme Court heard oral arguments yesterday in a lawsuit filed by two Northern Virginia residents against state transportation officials and agencies. The lawsuit says the transfer would violate the state constitution because it wasn't approved by the General Assembly. Richmond Circuit Judge Margaret P. Spencer dismissed the lawsuit in March 2007, ruling that the state has sovereign immunity against such claims....

Va. Tech families reach $11M settlement By SUE LINDSEY, Associated Press Writer 44 minutes ago ROANOKE, Va. - Families of the victims in the Virginia Tech shootings have reached a tentative $11 million settlement with the state, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said Thursday. The deal is designed to prevent future lawsuits. Kaine said a "substantial majority" of families of victims of the Virginia Tech shootings agreed to the settlement. Peter Grenier and Douglas Fierberg, who represent 21 families, also confirmed the settlement but would not discuss its terms until final papers are drawn in a few days. Kaine spokesman Gordon...

RICHMOND, April 1 -- Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine announced Tuesday that he is halting all executions until the Supreme Court decides whether lethal injection violates the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Here's a grand development that should drive bonkers liberals everywhere trying to concoct sneaky ways to impose taxation without representation: The Virginia Supreme Court has ruled that the state General Assembly did not have the power to give the 13-member unelected Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) the right to raise taxes for regional road and rail projects. Now the NVTA has to figure out a way to refund the $8.3 million it has collected from the public in taxes and fees since January, reports The Washington Times. The transportation authority imposed a $10 tax on state vehicle inspections, a 5...

Va. targets adults who French kiss kids By DENA POTTER, Associated Press Writer Sun Mar 9, 1:48 AM ET RICHMOND, Va. - State legislators passed a law Saturday that would require adults who French kiss a child younger than 13 to register as a sex offender. Those convicted of tongue-kissing a child would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. The House of Delegates passed the legislation 96-1 and the Senate 39-0. The bill now heads to Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, who said he supports the legislation. Delagate Riley Ingram,...

Virginia Del. Bob Marshall, the Republican from Prince William County who is one of the last great crusaders in the General Assembly, follows his conscience, no matter how unpopular or inconvenient the results. Whether he's seeking to restrict abortion in any possible way or trying to restrict development that might damage the environment, he's fine with ticking off left or right. In fact, he relishes the idea. So it came as no surprise that it was Marshall who tossed a pipe bomb into the delicate structure that housed Virginia's multibillion-dollar transportation compromise. And when he won a total victory in...

The Virginia General Assembly voted Tuesday for the first major overhaul of the state's mental health system in three decades, largely in response to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech. The House and Senate passed a package of bills designed to give families and courts greater flexibility in having people who are mentally ill involuntarily committed, among other changes.

Senate upholds Kaine's vetoes By Mason Adams RICHMOND – The Virginia Senate voted this afternoon to uphold Gov. Tim Kaine’s vetoes of two bills to expand the right to carry concealed guns in cars and restaurants. One bill would have allowed concealed handguns in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol. The Senate voted 22-18 in favor of the bill but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override Kaine’s veto. The second bill would have allowed gun owners without concealed-carry permits to store firearms in locked vehicle compartments. The Senate had passed it 31-9 earlier this session, but six...

Wednesday, Mar 05, 2008 - 12:09 AM By JEFF E. SCHAPIRO TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Gov. Timothy M. Kaine is spiking legislation that would make it easier to carry a concealed gun, but he could face a veto challenge. Kaine announced yesterday that he has vetoed Senate Bill 476, which would allow Virginians to carry a concealed weapon in a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol. He also blocked Senate Bill 436, a measure permitting gun owners without a concealed weapons permit to carry a firearmweapon in a motor vehicle as long as it is locked in a glove box or...

Great news, friends: Once again, Virginia has earned top honors from the Pew Center's Government Performance Project. Today, the GPP released their "Grading the States 2008" report, the nation's only comprehensive, independent analysis of how well each state performs in serving the public. We have achieved this together because we continue to focus on results: Virginia "avoids formulas and focuses on the harder work of asking why goals and targets aren't being met, then seeks to address the underlying problems." My administration has worked hard to continue to improve the efficiency of government, and the Government Performance Project has recognized...

WASHINGTON -- Utah, Virginia and Washington state have the most effective state governments in the country, according to a scorecard released Monday by The Pew Center on the States. The center ranked the states based on how well they manage their budgets, staffs, infrastructure and information. The states with the highest scores have made management improvement and innovation a priority, the report said. Washington, for example, holds public meetings led by the governor to monitor how its programs are working, while Utah has a sophisticated financial tracking system that provides up-to-the-minute data. Virginia offers its employees incentives for meeting goals...

bgibson@dailyprogress.com | 978-7243 RICHMOND - The House of Delegates on Thursday passed a bill to allow people with a concealed weapons permit to bring a hidden handgun into a restaurant if they do not drink. The measure sponsored by Sen. Emmett W. Hanger, R-Mount Solon, won House approval on a 62-36 vote and now goes to the desk of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine. Delegates in both parties said they expect Kaine to veto it. A spokesman for the governor said he would have to review the bill’s details before deciding whether to sign it. Gun-rights advocates have sought the bill...

'Tax Me More Fund' raises little revenue February 15, 2008 By Seth McLaughlin - RICHMOND — State lawmakers can rule out Virginian's offering up more of their hard-earned money to fix the $1.4 billion budget shortfall Gov. Tim Kaine announced this week. At least that is what a peek at the so-called "Tax Me More Fund" suggests. Since its inception in 2002, the fund has collected a total of $10,217.04. It was established a year after Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee challenged proponents of higher taxes to contribute to a similar program when he was governor of Arkansas. Both programs...

RICHMOND (AP) — People would be allowed to store guns in a locked glove box or other interior compartment of a vehicle or boat even if they lack a concealed-weapons permit under legislation that passed the Senate yesterday. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine vetoed similar legislation in 2006 for fear that it could endanger law-enforcement officers. The Senate voted 31-9 to pass the bill, within the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto. Under current law, motorists without concealed-weapons permits may put guns on the seat beside them in plain view. Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel, Winchester Republican, said her bill was...

The Talk Shows Sunday, February 10th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): President George W. Bush. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.; Joe Trippi, former John Edwards campaign adviser; Karl Rove, former deputy chief of staff to President Bush.THIS WEEK (ABC): Gov. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; former Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb.LATE EDITION (CNN) : House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio; former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine recently announced that he'll renew his fight to ban smoking in all Virginia bars and restaurants. He defended this push by citing the dangers of secondhand smoke, saying, "The scientific evidence about the health risks associated with exposure to secondhand smoke is clear and convincing. Recognizing the negative health effects and high public costs of secondhand smoke, Virginia must act to protect the workers and consumers in its restaurants." We're pleased the governor has such command of the epidemiologic literature. Usually, when politicians make such statements, they have little if any familiarity with the scientific research....