More Endorsements for Sen Allen

Lets add The Winchester Star and The Daily News-Record to Sen Allen's list!The text from today's Daily News-Record's endorsement is below. I highlighted the statement about Jim Webb.

Re-elect George Allen

When asked recently in an interview why he should be re-elected, Sen. George Allen replied clearly and candidly in the inimitably folksy Allen way: "You know me ... and I know Virginia. The people know me, and I know their sentiments. If someone is to serve you, he ought to have a grasp of your community, its history, its strengths, its heritage ... I know what concerns and hopes the people have here. And you know where I stand."

As to the first part of this equation, we still feel that, yes, we do know George Allen. We knew him as governor of Virginia, when he successfully shepherded such proposals as the abolition of parole, welfare reform, and the revamping of the Standards of Learning. And we've known him as senator, when he's consistently advanced his Jeffersonian notions of good governance while voting his conscience as a mainstream, common-sense conservative.

By way of contrast, we hardly know his opponent, a decorated Marine veteran and novelist who once espoused conservative ideals as well. But since gaining the Democratic nod, Jim Webb's conservatism has been witnessed about as much as he has been seen here in the Valley - that is, seldom, if ever. He now seems beholden to the liberal leaders of his new party.

On taxation, Mr. Allen, as a self-proclaimed "friend of the taxpayer and entrepreneur," is as good as his word. He is an enthusiastic proponent of the Bush tax reductions that place more money in people's pockets and throw open the doors to heightened capital investment and business and job growth. There's a reason why both the Dow Jones Average and the government's tax receipts have gone up, up, and up these past three years - President Bush's tax policy, which Mr. Allen ardently supports.

On immigration, the senator says, first and foremost, we must secure our borders. He gives no sanction to amnesty, noting that illegal behavior increases when illegal behavior is rewarded.

Judges who "ignore representative democracy" and "impose their own views" on the people gain no favor with Mr. Allen. As such, he decries juristic activism - i.e., judges who rule that the words "under God" should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance, or who say the Boy Scouts are not entitled to restrict Scoutmaster positions to those who adhere to the organization's credos, or who interpret the provisions of eminent domain to allow the seizure of private property for private, rather than public, benefit.

Mr. Allen contends that energy independence cannot be achieved without exploration of this nation's abundant resources. Thus, he favors drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and for lifting the moratorium that will open up the large natural gas deposits off Virginia's coastline for exploration.

And, finally, there is Iraq. The tactics of fighting this war, Mr. Allen says, may need adjustments to reflect the situation on the ground. But he still supports the overall goals of this endeavor. Though clearly "disappointed" that more progress has not been made toward quelling sectarian violence or toward putting the government on more solid footing by the Iraqis themselves, he has not lent his voice to the naysaying chorus calling for American withdrawal.

"We can't leave," Allen said, "we can't surrender Iraq and leave it a safe haven for terrorists . . . I want our troops to come home, but in victory, not in defeat."

And then, echoing the sentiments expressed to him by a Marine he met at Mrs. Rowe's, a favorite Valley eating spot down the interstate in Staunton, he said, "If we just leave, what does that say to the many who have sacrificed so much?"

In his values and his philosophy, he is one of us and, as he says, one with us. As such, The Daily News-Record endorses George Allen as its choice for U.S. senator.

Technorati : George Allen, James Webb, Jim Webb, Virgina, Virginia Politics