Mike Saewitz
The Virginian-Pilot
©
CHESAPEAKE
Sen. Barack Obama is bringing his presidential campaign to Oscar Smith High School for a town hall meeting Thursday evening, his campaign confirmed Tuesday.
The Chesapeake visit is one of four campaign stops in Virginia cities over the next two days, less than a week before Monday's start of the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
As the convention draws near, Obama is expected to soon make known his choice for a vice presidential running mate. Among those mentioned is Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.
In response to questions about Kaine's vice presidential prospects and the rallies in Virginia, Charlie Kelly, director of Kaine's political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward, issued a written statement.
"It's great news that Sen. Obama plans to campaign in Virginia on Wednesday and Thursday," Kelly wrote. "Gov. Kaine is committed to tackling the tough challenges facing Virginia's families and knows that Sen. Obama will be a results-oriented partner when elected president."
Obama will be joined by Kaine for an invitation-only town hall meeting Thursday morning in Chester, south of Richmond. The Illinois senator is scheduled to be in Virginia today for town hall meetings in Martinsville and Lynchburg.
Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., D-Chesapeake, who had previously supported New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the presidency, said Tuesday he was asked by the Obama campaign to help receive the candidate when he visits Chesapeake.
"My job is to work as hard for him as I did for her," said Spruill, who said that he hopes Obama picks Clinton to run for vice president. Spruill is a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention.
The Chesapeake meeting is open to the public, but a ticket is required for admission. Tickets are being distributed at five Obama campaign offices starting at 9 a.m. today.
The offices are at 123 N. Battlefield Blvd., Chesapeake; 140 W. Washington Road, Suffolk; 645 Church St., Norfolk; 2601 London Blvd., Portsmouth; and 3613 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach.
At today's meeting in Martinsville, he will be joined by former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, a candidate for U.S. Senate. Warner, who is running against former Gov. Jim Gilmore for the Senate post, is scheduled to deliver a keynote speech at the national convention.
Tonight in Lynchburg, Obama will conduct a town meeting with U.S. Sen. Jim Webb.
As Obama's plans to campaign in Virginia today and Thursday fueled speculation that Kaine might become his running mate, two prominent Virginia Republicans in Congress acknowledged that the governor's addition to the
ticket would strengthen Democratic prospects in Virginia this fall.
Kaine "has been quite an effective governor in many areas," said Sen. John W. Warner.
"Tim Kaine is obviously a very able governor" and "would be of some help to Obama in Virginia," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-11th District.
Democrats have not carried Virginia for president since 1964, but Obama has signaled that he plans an all-out push for the state's 13 electoral votes.
John Warner suggested that Kaine would be of little help in burnishing Obama's reputation on national security and military matters, two areas in which polls suggest the voters are less comfortable with the Democrat than with his Republican counterpart, Arizona Sen. John McCain.
While McCain was a Navy pilot and admiral's son who gained national prominence as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam in the 1970s, Obama did not serve in the military.
His lack of military experience has led many observers to suggest Obama could choose a running mate with strong foreign policy credentials, such as Delaware Sen. Joe Biden or New Mexico Gov. and former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson.
Pilot writer Julian Walker contributed to this report.
Mike Saewitz, (757) 222-5207, mike.saewitz@pilotonline.com
Dale Eisman, (703) 913-9872, dale.eisman@pilotonline.com
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Educate yourself
It is comon knowledge that sunni terorists sought harbor within Iraq. In additon, he paid suicide bombers families who would bomb Israeli's. This was an open ad to terrorists.
Ira
A couple of things. Please tell me how Saddam was harboring terrorists since that assertion was proved false years ago. And yes, McCain can be linked to Bush in this respect by McCain's own statements and positions. Go back and read/listen to McCain on the subject of Iraq, from 2002 to present and you will see what I mean.
Pros and Cons
Look guys, going into Iraq at first was smart. We had a dictator w/ massive financial backing via oil snubbing us and the UN. He was paying and harboring terrorists. He at the very least had a working grasp of how to use WMD's. We did siphon terrorists into Iraq and effectively bring the fight to them.
The down side is when we uncover arm depots and leave them unguarded and act suprised they are missing. Then they are used to blow up our own people.
Yes, the war has been mismanaged and aimless. You cannot link McCain to Bush over this issue. Just because we could not garner support from the UN and many allies does not make it wrong. Regardless of mistakes, at this ppoint, we cannot allow Iran to grow. I think this is obvious if you were old enough to read in 1979.
yes, we are there now
That was mistake number 1. The second mistake is there was no exit strategy. If we had gone after Bin Laden, the cause of the 9/11 attack I would have supported that war, I do not support the Iraq war. Please don't tell me I don't support our troops, becuase I do. It's not their faullt they were sent to the wrong place.
never said mine was more valid
Not telling you for whom you should vote, nor am I saying that my opinion is any more valid than anyone else's. Was only trying to say mine is more informed within the very specific area of recent ground truth in Iraq. There are obviously an abundance of areas to consider when selecting a President; where Iraq fits into your particular hierarchy of subjects is entirely up to you. Consult Maslow, I suppose. It is important to me on the personal level because as long as we are engaged in Iraq I am on the hook to go back. It is also important to me on the macro level because I believe getting it right in Iraq has repercussions for both our national security and of the future of the Middle East as a whole, the latter being my professional specialty. Leaving Iraq in chaos has implications for the wider Middle East that is attractive for no one in the West and few in the region. Whether we should have gone into Iraq is now an academic question. The reality is that we are there now and have to find the best way out of a bad situation.
IRA, not attacking you...
Just pointing out that the start of the mess began with wage freezing. The start of dependance on Companies to provide Health Insurance starts with FDR and his executive order at WWII.
I am totally in agreement that Litigation has not made anything better but my comment is not absurd. Had it not been for that Executive Order that Froze wages I do not think we would be in the current position that we are in.
Now I also know that it's been 60 some years since that started but that was where the onus of expecting Health Benefits from an employer began.
But you are right, litigation with multi-million dollar settlements for some of the most inane things has not helped (and yes, I know there are exceptions to this)...
I don't care who has been to iraq
When it comes to electing a politician I don't care who has served in our military, been to Iraq or fought in the war of 1812. You opinion is no more valid than anyone else's.
seeya
Green Lantern. That's great. Glad to see you boys still read comic books.
Since this is about one posting away from "I know you are but what am I" and has gotten WAY off topic, I'm out.
One more thing Green Lantern.....
You make personal attack after personal attack. Then when given a taste of your own medicine, you whimper like a puppy. Man up, dude!
I notice
I noticed you did not mention the attacks on McCain that are originating from Obama's campaign. Some right here on these boards. I assume you are ok w/ the ad released about McCain not knowing how many homes he has? It's not even relevent.
On a side note, has anyone noticed that many critics of Obama are being heavily censored? I personally had a post removed that didn't even graze the terms. On one article about his visit all of the posts have been removed.