This week’s opinion marketplace

The News Virginian
Published: June 21, 2008

THREE UP

John McCain rubbed the sleep from his eyes and initiated on his own behalf what had all the appearances of a presidential campaign last week, firing salvos at Barack Obama over the Democrat’s flimsy stances on terrorism. He also called for oil drilling in the Gulf, a welcome flip-flop for Americans weary of soaring gas prices fueled, in part, by sluggish production.

The U.S. military has quietly turned the tide in a war once thought futile, particularly on Obama’s side of the aisle. U.S. war deaths have dropped sharply along with sectarian violence. And the Iraqi government appears to be steadily more prepared to take over. Good news for Obama: He still has the sour economy with which to bash McCain and Republicans.

OK, so count us among those fawning over golf legend Tiger Woods. All the guy did, this time, was win the sport’s most grueling tournament with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee along with a double stress fracture in his tibia. Some of those fans who bemoan Tiger’s popularity, but rarely fail to watch him, wondered during the U.S. Open whether his injuries were being overstated. That was, of course, before we knew the extent of the damage, which will end his season. Let’s see how closely those same fans watch the grand old game now.

THREE DOWN
Last week ranked low among the lowlights for Barack Obama. After getting only a nominal bounce from his presumptive win over Hillary Clinton, Obama was stung by unfolding revelations about potential corruption at Countrywide Financial. Obama rightly has criticized Countrywide, only to discover that his own vice presidential vetter and two senators who endorsed him received sweetheart deals from the mortgage giant. Oops.

Two top Democrats, Sen. Jim Webb and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine, have been a frequent subject of Obama veep talk. The fresh-faced senator from Illinois now might look elsewhere. A Rasmussen poll showed voters would be less likely to back Obama with one of those two on the ticket. This should be a particular disappointment for Kaine, whose term expires next year and who cozied up to Obama with remarkable haste.

So while a gunman rampaged through hallways and classrooms at Virginia Tech, some officials cowered in the safety of their offices, zipping out e-mails about the emerging national story. It’s easy for those of us who have never been exposed to fear of being killed to wax sanctimonious, but there’s no denying Tech’s rep has taken another hit. Paging Mr. Michael Vick ...