Sen. John Warner Announces Retirement
By Nicole Belle Thursday Aug 30, 2007 2:02pm
CNN:
Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, said Friday he won't run for re-election.
Warner, 80, has been in the Senate for 29 years.
A former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former U.S. Navy secretary, he is one of the most respected voices in the Senate on military and national security issues.[..]
Warner was first elected to the Senate in 1978 and has been re-elected four times. In addition to the Armed Services Committee, he is on the Intelligence Committee, the Committee on the Environment and Public Works, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
Last week, Warner called on President Bush to start the process of bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq in September.
Warner opposed Bush's January decision to send nearly 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq. But he has so far also opposed Democratic efforts to force Bush to start bringing U.S. troops home.
While there's room for some cautious optimism that another Senate seat is in play to increase the Democratic majority (and Virginia's representatives are pretty evenly split between Rs & Ds), having a respected Republican with a really unassailable armed services background backing up our withdrawal stance against the White House is a shame.
UPDATE: Howie says that former Virginia Governor Mark Warner will run and likely win John Warner's seat.
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good
Yep... let's hope for a Democrat who wants to end the occupation of Iraq, give American citizens universal health care, do what his or her constituents voted him or her in for, and conduct him or her self with dignity, honesty, compassion, and integrity.
Wonder how he feels about being in the thug party. Wonder how he feels about how low it's gone.
Whatever. Goodby to another Va. republican.
Macacca, ya'll.
I think I might have voted for this man at some point.
I guess he finally got bored, since he's not bangin' Liz Taylor anymore.
Another reich-wing RAT jumping ship.....good riddance.
He comes out for withdrawing from the slaughterhouse that is Iraq, and then runs away?
What's a "shame" is his lack of integrity. And guts. Sheesh.
Mebbe he'll hook back up with Liz Taylor. Wasn't he Her Husband VI a while back? (:>
that's right, Republicants, just keep jumping ship...
"Rubber Stampman"
Go Webb. Soon to be the senior senator from Va.
Is this...did he...
NO...
CUT AND RUN!
:o
With this announcement he now has nothing to lose in opposing Bush's endless war. He could make his case for troop withdrawal even more high profile and maybe even leave the Senate with a legacy.
I think there is a word missing from your last sentence - it doesn't quite make sense.
mine?
Good riddance. Let's get a Democrat to take his seat. You guys think Senator Macaca is going to come back for another run?
Another one bites the dust!
Better bail out before the sh*t hit's the fan!
80. Thats about the average age these days of most of these guys.
Now we know what it's like when 80 year old men map out your future for you.
DEAD END
Announcement of book deal denouncing Iraq war in 3...2...
QuakerDave @ 7:
Cheney probably dropped by and played some tapes of one his family members...
Weaseldog @ 21:
that sounds exactly like something that creepy little ba$tard Cheney would do
STILL time to try and save his legacy...
Watch him slide closer and closer to a "pro-military-bring the boys home soon" message...
He's been teeing it up for weeks, now that he's announced he's done, he can go full bore....
Isn't it amazing how gutless these guys are, UNTIL they know Dick Cheney can't send his RNC minions down on them, the cower and watch the blood flow...
Some of you lot are missing the point. John Warner is 80. He's been in the Senate for 29 years. Cut and run? Quitter? You must be kidding - let's see how many of you are still in your jobs, voluntarily, when you're 80, and after 29 years of service.
He was a Republican in the days when being Republican and a conservative meant a differing political opinion, not slime and sleaze and corruption. He's earned the respect of both sides of the political spectrum and spoken out against Bush's war. He's one of the rare good guys.
Best of luck to you, Mr. Warner. May whoever replaces you be half as good.
what? sorry. i didn't understand the message of this post. thanks.
QuakerDave @ 7:
That, and the fact all the ship jumpers have finally realized Bush and Cheney are off their freaking rockers and there is nothing they can do about it without some major threat of career and family destruction if they continue getting in the way of the Agenda.
Dangerous Times we live in.
They're droppin like flies...
Rove, Gonzo, Snow, Warner,
Craig?
video of his press conference here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p98wbfRNBg8
Talcott @ 27:
They are leaving of their own free will. Not dropping like flies.
Thats what concerns me. Especially with this Iran business still on the table.
nonny mouse @ 24:
Yeah, he SPOKE out against it, but he never VOTED against it.
I like Warner better then most of the Republic pukes of today, but HE IS SO CLOSE to the military, he KNEW this was a ClusterF**ck months and months ago....
Yet, he VOTED for the Surge....Even though he spoke against it?
Nope, I think, he SHOULD have had the courage of his convictions, and he didn't.
He turned 80 in Feb of this year. I imagine he's had enough of this foolishness and bs. Who can blame him for wanting to retire. I'm sure he's been getting an ear full from the white house regarding his stance on the war now.
I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see George Allen run again. He's been popping up lately on some c-span shows and the audience loved him wherever he was speaking. His damned ego is probably just big enough to make him want to get back into the game.
He's certainly not the worst Republican by far. I'm still glad to see him go though. The fewer Republicans the better.
Talcott @ 27:
Don't forget the half dozen GOP lawmakers that retired earlier this month, such as Hassert. Droppin' like flies is right.
I dunno tho... I'm starting to get suspicious. Maybe they're leaving the government wide open for the Dems, so that when the shit really does hit the fan, they'll just blame the Dems on the whole mess.
Warner's one of my senators. That Constitution-hating, freedom -hating, liberty-hating, humanrights-hating, America-hating fascist scumbag can eat shit and die as far as I'm concerned. Thanks for nothing, asshole.
"Warner called on President Bush to start the process of bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq in September"
If you read his statement carefully you'd know that he proposed nothing more than a token withdrawal of a mere 5,000 troups. He even called it a token gesture. He's bullshit just like the rest of that mob.
Its cut n run week. The republicans need a hug. but don't ask me to do it.
Y'all are reading this wrong - I think he's positioning for a VP slot for whichever Republican candidate needs to distance themselves from this administration's military policies.
#24...H.R. 5122 The Defense Authorization Act aka The Warner Bill gives Bush the authority to declare Martial Law....Mobilize the National Guard without the authority from State Governors...Eliminated the Special Inspector for Iraq Reconstruction (no audit of expenditures). He was also instrumental in the elimination of Habeas Corpus. Heckuva job Johnny..Give us a break.
Warner doesn't want the probable beating he would take if he dared to face the voters again. That said, for a Repug he is better than most. Faint praise, but that's all he deserves.
nonny mouse @ 24:
He's earned the respect of both sides of the political spectrum and spoken out against Bush's war. He's one of the rare good guys.
Best of luck to you, Mr. Warner. May whoever replaces you be half as good.
Yeah, I too say "best of luck"; just as I will say when O.Hatch and A. Specter decide
to retire. (Sarcasam intended) Warner is,like many Senators, very good at speaking
"double talk",or out of his ass, so I for one will not miss him.
it's no wonder he found his balls when he did.
Mark Warner will make a great senator
Perhaps that it is a good thing that he will not have to worry about being slimed by his own party and by this Bush Administration and he can say what he truly thinks about the war...
Soon to be replaced with another dried out old white guy.
If Mark Warner is gonna run for John Warner's Senate seat, does that leave the governor's seat open for the likes of Maccaca Allen?
Ooooh, no wonder he's finally standing up to Bush.
The current governor is Tim Kaine (D). I'm sure maccaca Allen is hoping the Rethuglicans win the White House so he can kiss whoever's ass to get some appointment.
This sounds great, right? Let's say a Dem does take his place. Let's say that the Dem claims that they want to end the war, restore habeus corpus and stop warrantless spying. That all sounds wonderful, but the reality always plays out the same: the Dems talk a big game, and then completely wuss out and give in to the Republicans becaue they fear being called soft on terror.
1 Warner for withdrawal = 5 spineless Dems who claim to be against the war, but won't do anything when push comes to shove in order to protect their own political hide.
Our Democrative legislators make me sick to my stomach: they can save a bunch of our kid's lives (not to mention Iraqis) AND head off a war with Iran by using the power of the purse - but they're too spineless and power hungry to do so.
There you go. Don't mention it.
Daisy Zimmerly @ 32:
That's kind of where I land on this guy too. I don't agree with him, but he's not disagreeable. Although, Elsie's points in 38 are compelling.
[Deleted and banned. File under: A Blogwhoring Too Far]
So Mark Warner ran against John Warner for Senate in 1996? That must have been a great campaign. I'd imagine it drove a few political operatives to drink. "No, Mrs. Johnson, its MARK Warner - Just mark the g*d-damned straight Democratic ticket!"
having a respected Republican with a really unassailable armed services background backing up our withdrawal stance against the White House is a shame.
Sorry Nicole. He didn't really back up our stance. He suggested 5,000 troopes be removed by Christmas and went on to say that he doesn't support timetables for withdrawals. Time and time again he's repeatedly voted against Democratic bills calling for withdrawals. He won't be missed as far as I'm concerned. He can kick rocks.
You'd think that John Warner would know better than to say that Thomas Jefferson wrote the Constitution. That's what he just told Wolf Blitzer. Thomas Jefferson was our Ambassador to France when the Constitution was written.
Old Billy @ 52:
My problem with feeling ANY loss for guys like Warner and Spector is very muted.
Yes, are they better then true wingnuts like Santorium and Coburn?
Sure.
But, THEY KNOW what a load of total horseshit the "moral agenda" is....
Hell, Warner was married to Liz Taylor, he knows Gay Marriage is no fricking threat to anybody...
But, he kept silent, and went along with the winguts.
Yes, it wasn't his issue, but he let his party be dragged there and he never so much as put up a wimper.
Good bye to them all, a generation disgraced, the party of Lincoln was soiled by everyone of these "distinguished gentleman."
If I was in the GOP I'd be worried about Warner deciding he wants to leave offiice with a cleasn concious.
I've been to Atoka, his farm.
Yes, you may touch me.
John Warner: how to leave your job with class.
Larry Craig: how to leave your job in disgrace.
Hell, Warner will still be a U.S. Senator thru November 08, so he still has plenty of time
of do some more waffling as to Iraq...and I expect him to do exactly that...Gotta support
the GOP and do what you can to remain a loyal Repig.
CD @ 57:
They should probably worry more about the possibility of a new Attorney General with a conscience.
Ed in Socal @ 35:
You nailed it.
One of the best things about this news is we are one senate seat closer to stripping Lieberman of his committee chair and kicking his ass to the curb.
Carmikl @ 60:
Doesn't the President pick AG's?
If so then there is almost no chance of a new Attorney General with a conscience.
They should probably worry more about the possibility of a new Attorney General with a conscience.
Bush appointing an AG with a conscience?
Pigs fly out of my where?
Speaking of retirements, looks like "Wide Stance" Craig is going to do the "need to spend more time with my family" speech on Saturday....
Nonny @ 24 "Best of luck to you, Mr. Warner. May whoever replaces you be half as good."
If the other Warner runs this Warner will most likely be replaced by a Democrat greatly increasing our chances of holding onto, or increasing our senate majorirty. That prospect alone would make Mark Warner, or any Democrat who could take his seat, more than half as good as John Warner.
WashStateBlue @ 65:
Yea I would have to agree. I would say a hurried rush to make an announcement on a holiday Saturday as opposed to sometime after the holidays is a better than 50/50 odds that Craig will announce he will be leaving to spend more time on his knees in the mens room.......I mean with his family.
Yes, this puts his "bold" call (really a mealy-mouthed muttering, actually) for a tiny withdrawal in the right context.
Sen Feingold has stated that Warner praised him for his (Feingold's) vote to proceed with the Senate trial of Clinton in '98, and called him courageous. Apparently Warner was deafeningly silent about Feingold's equally courageous call for a censure of Bush. That says it all right there.
What would have really been courageous was if John Warner switched to the Democratic Party after the Republican Party was hijacked by christianistas, crooks, creeps, crackpots, cronies and criminals.
But he didn't, he stay with the Republicans which could have ended up costing us the senate and has allowed Joe Lieberman to hold us hostage.
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out Warner!
So it's the Republicans that are "cut and runner", the rats leaving the sinking ship. I can't blame them. Who would want to be hitched to Bush?Cheney. History will not be kind to them, no matter how much they hope it will be.
He was a Specter class asshole, and will not be missed. He didnt even bang Liz Taylor until she went to seed.
Warner? Respected? Jesus! What a low this country has become if THIS is respected. A coward.
If he was REALLY an America-loving, BRAVE senator, he would have told THE TRUTH all along. Instead, he said and did nothing -- until most Americans finally saw the light. And even then -- he really said nothing and never told the truth about Bush. PARTY over Country. Skank.
Brave? Strong? Don't make me laugh.
29 years? Holy cow that's a long time to be sucking on the taxpayer's teets. Has this man ever had a job? I mean a REAL job other than getting free pay cheques?
What a coward. Would rather resign than to vote against his president when it comes to bringing our kids home. Just another troll who talks big but does nothing to back up his words.
Warner is much respected in Virginia. I didn't always agree with him, but he was genuinely responsive to constituents (when they were being abused by the state tax board, for instance). He also publicy opposed Oliver North's sponsorship by the GOP for a Senate run, and got heat from the GOP for that, but that also earned him respect, and additional votes when Mark Warner ran against him. As a former Secretary of the Navy, Warner was also a staunch advocate for vets. I do wish Warner had challenged Bush more directly, but he wasn't part of the really vile GOP crowd in Congress, and I don't remember him making many if any personal attacks.
Mark Warner would probably make a fine senator, but as Republicans go, John Warner was pretty good.
Warner deserves every bit of bashing and ignominy his failed support of President Bush Jr have permanently cast on his character
So Warner's calling it quits, good, one less W-loving lackey and Iraq occupation apologist to deal with come election day, November, 2008
Hopefully, these supposed "Respected Party Elders", like Warner, Lugar, and others of their ilk will be forever stained with the inevitable failure the Iraq occupation was destined to become
With this clearly incompetent hack Masquerading as Commander in Chief making the final military decisions, success was never an option or outcome, failure was guaranteed as the invasion and occupation should never have occurred in the first place, let alone because of the flat-out lies told by this Administration
When these worthless enablers of President Bush Jr put their loyalty to this President above their sworn duty to protect and uphold the Constitution, they showed what they REALLY think of our Constitution, what they really think of those US troops they claim to support
Permanent public disgrace for each and every politician who went with President Bush Jr regarding Iraq is what I want
There's not a level of Hell permanent, miserable or deep enough for this Administration, it's bipartisan enablers, lunatic neocon cheerleaders and vile media lackeys
#72 & #74, great comments
Weaseldog @ 21:
Exactly!
nonny mouse @ 24:
Thank you for your classy observation in a thread that had sore need of class. Unfortunately, too many comments are just knee jerk "all Republicans are evil" (or similar). That's indistinguishable from Ann Coulter's shtick that all liberals are evil.
Good riddance to bad rubbish
Last week, Warner called on President Bush to start the process of bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq in September. ............................................................. Sen. John Warner, R-Virginia, said Friday he won’t run for re-election.
I wonder what the Bush's have on him? It has to be big!
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