2005 Elections: Late Endorsement

I initially did not want to endorse a candidate for governor of Virginia, since I didn't know enough about it to comment. Now, thanks to Kwame Holman's excellent report on the race on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, I do. And here's my endorsement:

This blog endorses the Democratic candidate, Virginia Attorney General Tim Kaine. Kaine is a principled, decent man who will uphold Virginia state laws, even the ones he personally opposes - like the death penalty, which as a devout Catholic he is against. Normally I wouldn't endorse a candidate who promises to enforce, rather than abolish, capital punishment, but Jerry Kilgore, the Republican candidate and a death penalty proponent, has been bashing Kaine with an ad featuring the father of a murdered man who wants to see the killer put to death and says he can't support a candidate who's against capital punishment. So, the Republican party tries to smear pro-choice Catholics for disobeying their own church, but then they belittle anti-death-penalty Catholics who do obey the Vatican. By pulling a stunt like he did, Kilgore has shown his indecency and his lack of fitness for any office, never mind the governorship of Virginia. >:-(