Howie F speaks (and so does the author of this blog)

That august keeper of the CW, and Hardball regular, Howard Fineman of Newsweek, has decided to anoint Warner as the guy to watch on the 2008 Democratic side.

Fineman sums up Warner's crossover appeal as such:

He has positioned himself as a centrist on social issues, which may be right where "country-club Republicans" are: wary of too much emphasis on gay rights or women's rights, but essentially tolerant people.

NOTE: Yes, this is the first post in 5 months or so on this blog. I reserve the right to post again in 5 months or so. Thanks to Bobby P for pointing out this article and actually giving me something to do here. There really hasn't been much to write about w/r/t Warner lately. The gubernatorial race in Virginia featuring Warner's Lt. Gov Tim Kaine this November will be an important touchstone for Warner in that a Kaine loss might be construed as a repudiation of Warner's policies and/or a lack of deep support for Warner personally. Whether this is fair or not is, of course, beside the point, but this is the closest thing to an electoral test that Warner will likely face between now and 2008, assuming he doesn't abandon a presidential bid and goes for Allen's Senate seat.