The Hill: No '08 Senate Bid For Capito

As the pundits continue to search for interesting and competitive 2008 election races, The Hill has scratched off U.S. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito as someone willing to take on Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va.

A spokesman for the Charleston Republican said Capito instead plans to run for a fifth, two-year term representing the state's 2nd House District.

The pundits, meanwhile, haven't really changed their assessment of Capito's shoo-in status since the name of state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, emerged as a possible challenger. I do see, however, that Roll Call has opined that Capito "could face a tough challenge, however, from state Sen. John Unger (D), who is being heavily courted by national Democrats but hasn’t yet committed to the race."

In the absence of Capito, The Hill mentions Secretary of State Betty Ireland and Rockefeller's 1984 nemesis, Morgantown business owner John Raese among the GOP's remaining prospects.

"Raese, whom Rockefeller originally edged to win the seat, received little help from the national party and lost to Byrd in 2006 by more than 30 points," the newspaper reports. "He has the ability to self-fund, however, and some speculate that the 2006 cycle was a warm-up for a rematch with the senator he really wants to face."

Update: Shortly before his 2006 loss, Raese speculated on a 2008 campaign in an interview with The Register-Herald of Beckley.

Jessica Lynch

Last week's Capitol appearance by the Wirt County native and rescued Iraq POW prompted a New York Times op-ed reply from retired Lt. Gen. Michael DeLong.

The former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command accuses West Virginia politicians of pressuring the military to award Lynch the Medal of Honor after her 2003 capture.

"They called repeatedly, through their Congressional liaison, and pressured us to recommend her for the medal, even before all the evidence had been analyzed," DeLong wrote. "I would not relent and we had many heated discussions."

(DeLong also apparently echoes these allegations in a 2004 book, Inside CentCom, which was republished in paperback as A General Speaks Out in March.)

DeLong told The Associated Press on Monday he was referring to staffers for one of the state's U.S. senators and one of its "congressmembers."

DeLong also told me he was not referring to then-Gov. Bob Wise or other state-level officials.

However, the offices of Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller told AP that neither pressed the military for medals; Byrd's office also released a letter to a constituent stressing that the military makes the call regarding medals.

The office of U.S. Rep Shelley Moore Capito, whose district includes Wirt County, said that it, too, did not lobby the military for a medal. At best, staffers asked asked others on Capitol Hill (perhaps the House Armed Services Committee) about the procedure for awarding medals.

DeLong told me he wrote the op-ed because he believed U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., had taken "a cheap shot" at the military with his committee's inquiry into the military's handling of the Lynch and Pat Tillman cases. His intent was not to attack the state's politicians, he said.

"I've got to assume that their heart was pure," DeLong told me. "The congressmembers, at the end of the day, were trying to do the right thing."

The Charleston Daily Mail also spoke to the retired general and the state's delegation for a story.

Update: Public Broadcasting interviewed Lynch for this week's Outlook program, which airs again Sunday. The web page links to YouTube video of the interview, and a related news segment from public radio is here (audio link).

W.Va. Board of Ed Facing Lawsuit Threat

Citing their region's pricey housing market and booming student enrollment, Eastern Panhandle educators plan to sue state school officials over their cost-of-living allotments, The Journal of Martinsburg reports.

The state Board of Education was given 30 days' advance notice of the proposed class action lawsuit, the newspaper reports.

"The lawsuit is the latest development following long-simmering complaints from teachers and school service personnel in Berkeley, Morgan and Jefferson counties who have seen the purchasing power of their salaries erode as the Eastern Panhandle’s cost of living and student populations continue to climb."

W.Va. Finds Crowded Market For Tobacco Bonds

After several failed attempts, the 2007 Legislature gave the state the green light to scoring some quick cash by selling bonds backed by future tobacco settlement payments.

But as West Virginia prepares to issue about $800 million in bonds, other states have already sold investors on $9.4 billion in such securities since January, The Charleston Gazette reports.

The Associated Press also has a story.

Manchin: All-broadband W.Va. by 2010

The Associated Press' Tom Breen reports on Gov. Joe Manchin's his goal of extending high-speed Internet access throughout the Mountain State, with the help of Cisco Systems CEO (and W.Va. native) John Chambers.

Manchin says the prospects from this developing public-private partnership helped prompt him to veto legislation in this area following the recent regular session.

Quote of the Day

“You’ll win the election.”

-- U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Caucus, to state Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, while urging Unger to challenge Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-2nd, in 2008, as quoted by Hoppy Kercheval of MetroNews.

Unger v. Capito in 2008?

MetroNews' Hoppy Kercheval considers the possibility in his online column today.

He cites a recent phone call to the Berkeley County Democrat from U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill. and chairman of the Democratic Congressional Caucus.

"Unger is an intriguing choice by the DCCC," Kercheval writes. "The three term senator has always been somewhat of a misfit within the state party structure. He’s frequently a thorn in side of state senate leaders who prefer team players to independent voices."

Emanuel is a key figure in a new book on the 2008 election, The Thumpin'. But Capito, R-2nd, was one of the few November successes for the GOP in West Virginia, avoiding the wave evoked by that title.

Few national pundits have yet weighed the hundreds of U.S. House races slated for 2008. Those that have, including The Rothenberg Political Report and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, don't include Capito's (or either of the other two W.Va. seats, for that matter) in their rankings.

"Any seats not listed are currently considered to be at limited risk for the incumbent party," Rothenberg notes.

DC's Political Report, meanwhile, lists several other potential Capito challengers: Delegates Cory Palumbo and Carrie Webster, both D-Kanawha; Sen. Dan Foster, D-Kanawha and a physician; and Gat Caperton, son of the former governor and an Eastern Panhandle business owner.

This report also notes the speculation that Capito may be recruited to take on U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller in 2008, and so lists former state Sen. Steve Harrison, R-Kanawha, as a possible successor in her House district.

Update: The Charleston Daily Mail reported earlier on entreaties to Unger from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Gun Control & Mental Health - Updated

The Associated Press' Tom Breen has found that West Virginia is among 28 states unable or unwilling to supply the mental health records needed to enforce a federal 1968-era ban on selling guns to anyone "adjudged mentally ill."

The Mountain State "does not report involuntary psychiatric commitments to the FBI because the state doesn't know how many such commitments there are," Breen reports.

The state Supreme Court is developing a computer system to record these commitments, handled by the counties, but it won't be online until at least 2010, the AP story said.

The Virginia Tech massacre has prompted the review of existing gun laws, and Breen reports on possible congressional action in this area.

Update: Public Broadcasting's Scott Finn has also focused on this topic, with a piece that aired on National Public Radio's Morning Edition on Wednesday (with audio link).

215

That's the number of Morgantown residents who cast ballots in Tuesday's city election, out of nearly 14,000 registered voters, The Associated Press reports.

Turnout hit 1.55 percent even though the voting was for "mayor and seven council members to lead one of the fastest growing communities in West Virginia that is also home to West Virginia University," the AP notes.

W.Va. Donors Flock To Edwards

Democrat John Edwards has collected $72,100 from West Virginia contributors, or about $19,000 more than the rest of the 2008 presidential field combined, The Associated Press reports.

Three other candidates have received at least $10,000 each: Republicans Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

All told, West Virginians have given to 10 of the 19 declared presidential candidates for 2008. But their combined $125,000 is a mere fraction of the $127 million these campaigns amassed as of March 31. The state ranks 42nd for contributions, with donations topping $1 million in 21 states and Washington, D.C.

Jay in GOP crosshairs? UPDATED

U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., is the target of a video ad that the National Republican Senatorial Committee has posted on its own section of YouTube.

But the spot appears to be of a cookie-cutter variety, as nearly identical ads on the NRSC page similarly attack such other Democratic senators as Tom Harkin of Iowa and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana.

The ads seize on comments attributed to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., regarding Iraq.

The NRSC set up its YouTube page April 3, and added the anti-Rockefeller video Monday.

The NRSC launched the first attack ad of the 2006 election cycle with an online (and later TV) spot targeting Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va. The NRSC appeared to be singling out Byrd with that effort, however, in an purported attempt to dissuade the 80-something senator from seeking a ninth term.

The NRSC also recruited _ but then seemingly abandoned _ an opponent to challenge Byrd, who won his record term with more than 64 percent of the vote.

The Charleston Gazette touches on the new NRSC video.

Update: The pundits are already handicapping the race for Rockefeller’s seat in 2008:

• Cook Political Report - “solid Dem” as of April 11.
• CQ Politics – “Safe Democratic”as of April.
• Larry Sabato – “Solid Democratic” as of April.
• Rothenberg Political Report – “currently safe” as of April 20.
• The Hotline (National Journal) – 27^th most vulnerable seat out of 33 as of Feb. 12. “Republicans still have some hope Rockefeller may retire, but if not, he's probably a lock.”

Virginia Tech

I will remain on the story for at least one more day. I was allowed to return home for the weekend, but must travel back to Blacksburg later this evening.

The Associated Press dispatched someone from my bureau because Charleston is closer to Richmond. We knew of only one death but multiple injuries when I headed out, just after noon. I was crushed when my radio picked up the initial press conference and word of 20+ fatalities. My despair only increased when they upped the death toll further, just as I crossed into Virginia.

I was the 2nd AP reporter to reach the scene, following our Roanoke-based correspondent. I was also the 2nd reporter overall to visit the nearby Montgomery Regional Hospital, where 17 of those shot and injured were taken.

Throughout Monday afternoon, I interviewed friends and, later, family members of those wounded by the shooter. Details were still sketchy, and I often had more information than the VT students I was interviewing. But to a person, they were all very patient with me.

Only one chose not to go on the record, a Korean student who smoked pensively outside the ER as he awaited word on a wounded friend, a fellow Korean.

I visited the hospital several more times over the course of the week, fielding updates as the wounded continued to recover and were discharged. I wrote this brief about one of these students, the quick-thinking senior and former Eagle Scout, Kevin Sterne.

I spent most nights that week staffing the briefing center set up at The Inn at Virginia Tech, an impressive new building that houses a hotel, conference facilities and the school's alumni center. Standing-room only during the day, I found myself sharing the room with only a couple of Australian reporters and a handful of Asian media during the early morning hours.

The number of Asian reporters, thought, would sometimes swell to between 25 and 30, however, during the overnight. I still can't get my head around the scale of the media coverage: more than 30 video cameras ringed the rear of the briefing center during those press conferences. I once walked around part of The Inn to count the satellite trucks, and stopped at 60. Reporters from Canada, France, Japan and the UK sat immediately around me in the room.

I spent part of each night walking the campus. VT is a very attractive place to go to school. It has grand, Gothic style stone buildings with engaging architectural features. It seems to have a nice lay out, and ample green space (it also has a solid radio station).

Monday night, I traced the route between Ambler Johnston and Norris halls. The walk took less than 10 minutes. At that point, we had no idea what Cho did for the 2+ hours between the shootings. Even with the mailed "multimedia manifesto," we may still not have the complete picture. But I wondered that night what else he had done that final morning.

Later on in the week, I walked around the exterior of Norris Hall. It's been cordoned off, of course, and the public is not allowed near that entrance that Cho apparently chained shut before he opened fire. It is the only entrance visible, though Norris is attached to another building.

As best I can tell, we still don't know why Cho targeted Norris Hall. Looking at it that night, I wondered whether he saw it as a killing zone he could control: by chaining the door and then starting on the opposite side of the hallway, perhaps he figured he had trapped everyone in all those classrooms.

I also spent that first night identifying those killed, with help from VT's web site and the school's sizable online community. The school's site also helped me pinpoint three of the Norris classrooms that Cho attacked, and that the office of one of the professors killed was one floor up.

My duties also took me to the drill field. Mourners lit candles, left flowers and wrote prayers and condolences at several spots on and around the field. The solemn, graceful war memorial nearby also hosts one of these shrines.

I interviewed students and others there late Wednesday night, but by then the canceled classes had shifted the media-to-student ratio to, well, unhealthy levels. As I prepare to return to Blacksburg, I understand that the VT student government has asked all media to leave the campus by Monday morning.

Say A Prayer

I was sent to Blacksburg shortly after noon Monday, and I don't expect to resume blogging until I return to Charleston.

Quote of the Day

“I didn’t come here to put on a show, but I am as Popeye. That was Popeye the Sailor Man. He said 'I am what I am and that’s all that I am.''’

-- U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., at a hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill, as quoted by The New York Times. Byrd also said he plans to run in 2012, when he turns 95, "the Lord willing."

Byrd 2012?

U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., declared at a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday that "I will run in 2012, the Lord willing," according to The New York Times.

Byrd, 89, became the longest-serving senator in U.S. history several months before he handily won a record ninth term in November. He would be just shy of 95 on Election Day 2012.

Garrison Picked As WVU President

West Virginia University's Board of Governors made the announcement around 12:20 p.m., and The Associated Press' Vicki Smith was there.

The AP story is also here.

MetroNews was also in the boardroom for the announcement, as was The Charleston Gazette.

The official word from WVU is here.

And WVU's Next President Is...

West Virginia University's Board of Governors plans to choose the school's next president at its 8:30 a.m. meeting today in Morgantown.

Update: The Associated Press has a story setting the stage for the day's events.

Opinions abound as to whether the board will pick M. Duane Nellis, Kansas State University provost and former WVU dean, or recent Higher Education Policy Commission Chairman Mike Garrison.

Those opining include Hoppy Kercheval of MetroNews, in his online column today.

WVU's faculty senate has endorsed Nellis, with a resolution also seen as a no-confidence vote of Garrison's candidacy. WVU student government leaders are backing Garrison, a former student body president.

The Higher Education Policy Commission has scheduled an 11 a.m. special meeting at its Charleston office to approve the board's selection and compensation offer.

Garrison, who was a cabinet secretary and chief of staff to then-Gov. Bob Wise, resigned as commission chairman when he was selected as a finalist for president.

W.Va. To Appeal Teacher Pension Ruling

State officials want the Supreme Court to overturn the January ruling that nixed the planned merger of West Virginia's two teacher pension funds. The Associated Press has a story about yesterday's decision by the Consolidated Public Retirement Board.

The board voted to appeal the Kanawha Circuit Court ruling after some expressed concerns about the chances of prevailing.

Quote of the Day

"I think his candidacy - if he were successful - it does make us in some ways continue to look rather insular and provincial."

-- West Virginia University associate professor of English Gwen Bergner on Mike Garrison, one of two finalists for WVU presidency, quoted by The Associated Press' Vicki Smith.

WVU Faculty Senate: We Want Nellis

West Virginia University's Faculty Senate has endorsed M. Duane Nellis over Mike Garrison as the state's largest public university prepares to select its next president, The Associated Press is reporting.

The AP's Vicki Smith counts today's vote as 47-5 with two abstentions.

Smith also notes that though it was an emergency meeting, the turnout (54 of 114 senate members) is considered typical for regular meetings.

"The qualities the Faculty Senate demanded were 'visionary leadership with global perspective,' a proven ability to lead a large organization with many constituencies, and an ability to attract and recruit nationally and globally recognized scholars," the AP story said,

Student Body President David Kirkpatrick and Vice President Jason Parsons, meanwhile, endorsed Garrison as "the best choice to lead WVU into the future," Smith reports.

MetroNews was also on hand for the faculty vote.

Nellis worked with the faculty as dean of WVU's Eberly College of Arts and Sciences for seven years, before taking his current post as Kansas State University provost.

Garrison, former Higher Education Policy Commission chairman and Wise Administration official, answered questions from faculty, students and staff during separate forums at the Morgantown campus yesterday.

WVU's Board of Governors is scheduled to choose the new president on Friday.