Opinion

For a national political party that needs to regroup, the news just doesn’t get any better. Not when two possible 2012 presidential candidates have sidelined their careers with sex scandals.

    Nevada Sen. John Ensign had just admitted and apologized for an affair he had when the bizarre news about South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford broke.

Fifth District Congressman Tom Perriello is giving area residents a chance to sound off on  healthcare reform.

    This week Perriello unveiled “Your Health, Your Voice,” an online forum on the issue. As the debate on healthcare heats up, Perriello said he created the forum to provide his constituents with an opportunity for input and for dialogue with friends, neighbors and healthcare professionals from around the 5th District.

Last week, the Congress took up several key votes relating to national security.

I joined with others in the House of Representatives to condemn the regime in Iran for its repressive crackdown on non-violent, pro-democracy demonstrators. As brave citizens risked their lives in the streets of Tehran, the U.S. Congress acted swiftly to let the world and those brave individuals know that we stand with those who stand for freedom.

    Almost exactly three years ago I wrote a column about my then 9-year-old son, Ryan. After this most recent Father’s Day, I thought an update on him and his progress might be in order.

    I called him “my little Democrat” at the time, and recounted some of our political adventures together, including meeting Mark Warner and delegate-to-be Ben Cline.

ot too long ago the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles told us they would rather not have us visit their offices. In fact, they offered us $5 off our vehicle registration fee as an incentive to keep us from coming by and paying in person.

    Now the word comes down that if we do drop by a DMV, we shouldn’t come in with a smile. What’s this world coming to? Don’t our driver’s license pictures already look bad enough?

    Bath County State Senator Creigh Deeds won an overwhelming victory last week in the statewide Democratic primary. He will now face Republican Bob McDonnell in the fall for the contest to succeed Tim Kaine as Virginia’s governor.

    Deeds was thought to be the underdog to the heavily financed campaign of former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe. But much of McAuliffe’s appeal fell apart under scrutiny, especially his claim to have created so many jobs, a notion pretty much put to rest by a critical Washington Post article.

This week legislation was introduced in Congress to make sure the National D-Day Memorial continues to fulfill its mission:  Reminding all who enter it of the heavy price that this nation’s communities have paid, and still pay, for freedom.

    Congressman Tom Perriello and U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb have begun the process to bring the Memorial in Bedford under the supervision of the U.S. National Park Service. The legislation, which calls for a study on the proposal, has been written in consultation with the Memorial.

From every corner of the 5th District, I hear about how folks are struggling with the lack of broadband internet access. Two weeks ago, I hosted a roundtable discussion on rural broadband, this time in Altavista after the last one in Rocky Mount. At the roundtable, the need for better broadband access was made abundantly evident, and I will use the stories and strategies offered by citizens to be a more effective advocate for rural broadband back in Washington. Here are some of the stories I heard:

    Last week, President Barack Obama was in Cairo, Egypt to give a speech that his administration billed as an appeal to a new beginning between the United States and the Muslim world. It did not disappoint.