Endorsements

Two Endorsements:

I won't actually be voting in any closely-run race this year, having moved to what turns out to be a very safe district in Georgia. That said, there are two races in which I would like to take a moment to express my support for a given candidate.

I usually only issue endorsements to Democrats, as I am a Democrat -- President Bush in 2004 being the notable exception. However, I can only rarely endorse a Democrat these days, the national party being what it is.

I would like to urge voters in Virginia, where I lived most of the last several years, to vote for Jim Webb for Senate. I realize that Mr. Webb and I disagree on, well, most everything he cares to discuss at length. Mr. Allen and I are much more closely aligned in political opinions. Further, I do of course recognize that this is a very tight year for the Senate, and a party switch of even one seat could have far-reaching consequences.

Nevertheless, Mr. Webb is the better man. His life story is sufficient cause to prefer him as a Senator. He is a good man, a brave and honorable man, a Marine, and that is something the Senate needs. He has proven to be resistant to the lure of power, resigning his post as Secretary of the Navy rather than cut the force structure as Congress demanded. He believed they were wrong, and he put his shirt where his heart was.

That is the old way.

This is not the way things are meant to be in America -- our institutions were designed by the Founders with the recognition that we could only rarely expect politicians to be good men. The system should be indifferent to the quality of the Senators.

Given the sharp and structural flaws in the Senate, and the rest of the government, it cannot be said to be. For that cause, I think it is necessary to vote for men of proven character and honor. Though I disagree with Mr. Webb, I respect him for who he has been and what he has done. I would vote for him, and I urge you to do so if you can.

I'm also going to endorse Kinky Friedman for Governor of the great state of Texas. This is a much-less-strong endorsement. Nevertheless, he is a throwback to the age when Democrats elected great local characters -- Charlie Wilson, say. You Texas voters doubtless have your own ideas, and that's fine, but of the crop he's the one I think I'd most enjoy hearing from about the state's various problems for the next several years.

You must all vote your consciences on Election day, of course, and I won't hold that against anyone. In case you were wondering what I thought about things, though, there you are.