Editorial

As the 2008 presidential race approaches the very serious month of January, the candidates involved just got some more information: a record 68 percent of Americans now oppose the Iraq war and our continued occupation of that country.

This is certainly not good news for Republicans, who - except for Ron Paul - just don?t have the guts to take on the president?s policy. John McCain, who ought to know better, has been utterly shameful in his defense of this Iraq disaster. McCain says that ?the liberal media? isn?t telling the truth about how the ?surge? in Iraq is working.

When we make a mistake, or do something wrong, we should never compound that wrong by failing to own up to the mistake.

A letter I received a week ago from Tiffaney Orange certainly points that out. I'll let the letter speak for itself.

Here it is:

What if it were a child?

It was already enough devastation that on Monday of last week, my mother had to come home to find her cocker spaniel, "Heidi" lying dead on her basement floor; a perfectly healthy dog that took ill, and within a weekend's worth of time died...

As this was written, statewide legislative elections hadn?t yet been held. But things looked very good for Democrats and somewhat bleak for the state Republicans.

If the results don?t actually reflect that - although I suspect they will - there are still trends in Virginia politics that don?t bode well for Republicans in this state.

Veterans Day is an opportunity for us to honor the lives and sacrifices of our nation?s veterans. America?s veterans have dedicated themselves to securing the safety and freedom of their fellow Americans. We enjoy rights and freedoms unmatched by any other nation in the world and our brave servicemen and women have served throughout history to make that possible. For these selfless actions, we have a responsibility to ensure that our troops are sufficiently provided for when they return home.