Will Senator Warner Retire?



On Tim Russert's "Meet The Press," Senator John Warner was downright fiesty. Overflowing with sauciness. Free, even, with the counsel he -- and other members of his generation -- usually wear close to his vest. Warner appears to be resolved in his thinking -- he seems to have come to some conclusion, some space of closure -- which suggests, sadly, that he will retire in the near future. Warner is the last of a dying breed of Senator, the Gary Harts, the Paul Simons, the Daniel Patrick Moynihans, the Sam Hayakawas, the Warren Rudmans, -- those Men of Olde. Moderate; intellectual; sober; historical-minded; pragmatic with just a touch of youthful idealism; and, above all, Wise. With the possible exception of Joe Biden -- who wasn't really a peer of those guys, although he served in tandem with them -- there is no one of the old, noble Senate Centrists left.

And that, dear reader, is a very sad thing.

We live in an age of partisans, hacks and extremists. In the present scenario, it is any wonder if anyone will even mourn the Senate career of one such as Warner, who magnificently smashed that low-grade piece of ass Ollie North and extinguished his budding political career. God Bless America! And when Warner called Rummy a "millstone around the President's neck" he spoke for all of us, and the Navy, to whom he was always loyal. From Politico:

"Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), long one of the leading Republican voices on foreign affairs, will answer one of the key questions looming over the battle for control of the Senate in 2008 when he announces his reelection plans Friday afternoon on the north steps of the University of Virginia’s famed Rotunda.

"Virginia and national political officials have been waiting with anticipation for Warner’s decision, which could give Democrats a tempting pickup target should Warner choose to retire. But aides say Warner, who is 80 years old, hasn’t revealed his decision to anyone but his family.

“'Charlottesville is an important place to him. It’s a place where he’s spent serious amounts of time whenever he’s made announcements of importance,' said Warner’s chief of staff Carter Cornick."

Warner has nothing else to prove. If he took on another run -- unlikely -- Warner would commit himself to serving until he was 87. And we're pretty sure he'd rather be riding horses and hanging with his grankids and enjoying his last, Golden years. And he's earned that, at least, for service to his country.