Warner Out for '08

Frankly, this surprises me. It should delight Republicans, because had Warner won the Democratic Primary (which was doubtful; more on that later), he would have made a formidable opponent. By all accounts he's a moderate, thoughtful, articulate former Governor of a Red State (that'd be Virginia). Instead, he wants a "real" life, and presumably will go make a lot of money somewhere.

There are several possible reasons for this move. One is that Warner is telling the truth; he decided that the rigours of living life in the public eye just aren't worth the benefits of power and a place in history. If that's the case, then I applaud him for deciding to stay home with his family. I think there are two more likely scenarios, however. The first, and I think best, explanation is that Warner's "people" told him it just wasn't going to happen. Contrary to some of the early CW, Warner didn't catch on and was finishing towards the bottom of most of the star polls. The reality is that we're 15 months from the first primary - if things are looking bad now, there's still time to fix them, but it wouldn't be easy. I think someone looked at the numbers, looked at the crowded field, and made a judgment call to advise Warner to strongly think about getting out. Of course, the other possibility is that there is something in Warner's past (real or perceived) that would prevent him from winning an election, or at least would be extremely embarrassing. It's impossible to say whether that's the case, but if it is I think Warner made the right decision to get out now rather than have his name sullied.

Bottom line; this is good news for candidates on both sides of the aisle who are considering running for President in 2008.