Sen. Warner to Announce Future Plans

[Perky]

One of the few respable Repuke in my view. But Hey that opens it up for Marc Warner.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SOU_JOHN_WARNER_2008?SITE=CATOR&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-30-15-54-05

By BOB LEWIS
AP Political Writer

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Sen. John W. Warner, for decades one of the most authoritative voices in Congress on military issues and a key player in the debate over Iraq, will announce Friday whether he will seek a sixth term next year.

The courtly 80-year-old Republican would be an early favorite to win if he runs, but his retirement could give the Democrats, who cling to a one-seat Senate majority, a chance to take the seat from the GOP.

Warner planned an afternoon news conference at the University of Virginia on the steps of its signature structure, the Rotunda, designed by university founder Thomas Jefferson.

Friends, staff aides, close political allies and political professionals alike were left to guess Thursday what the former Navy secretary, famous for keeping his own counsel, would do.

"He's been wrestling with it, he really has," said Larry J. Sabato, a U.Va. political science professor who is close to Warner and who helped him secure the site for his news conference. "And I could see him flipping, even overnight."

[rateyes]

1. Having lived in VA,

I've never been much on Warner, but I am grateful that he was the main reason that Oliver North never became a Senator. I hope he sticks to his guns on troop withdrawal, too.

Mark Warner would be a good pick-up for the Democrats.