repubgazette5-10-07govandturkeyshelleyoutmojohunting

Having Fun

With Mojo

My big hunting adventure

Hey kids! Governor Manchin here! A few days ago, I decided to go hunting! I have always loved to hunt and fish! And just like most hunters, when I go hunting I take along a turkey caller, a photographer and the Director of the Division of Natural Resources! With all those people stomping through the woods, you can imagine how much tougher it is to actually shoot anything! But it's easy for me! Everybody has their jobs, of course. The turkey caller calls the turkey. The Director of the Division of Natural Resources takes notes so he can write a story about what a great hunter I am. And the photographer takes my picture after I blow the head clean off a turkey! Now, it might sound to some of you like everybody else was doing most of the work, but I'm the one who got his picture taken. Well, you're right! That's just one more great thing about being the Governor!

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At the end of this article is a link to a press release from the Governor's office, and I highly recommend that you read it for yourself to fully understand its sheer audacity.

In the meantime, here are the facts:

Gov. Manchin went hunting a few days ago. He shot a turkey. He also likes to fish. That's a total recap of the facts.

Now here's the gist of the press release version issued Wednesday of this adventure:

Gov. Manchin is the greatest hunter since Daniel Boone. He tracked a turkey up a mountain, sometimes crawling on all fours to scale the heights. The turkey being hunted was one of the craftiest turkeys ever born, but not crafty enough to outwit Mojo, who is one of the best shots in the

Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito made it official this week, verifying the fact that she will run for reelection in the 2nd Congressional District rather than take on Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Hoppy Kercheval has a good analysis today of the news from the Capito perspective.

Shelley's decision to forego a race against Rockefeller was entirely expected, and extremely logical. Naturally, attention turns to who, if anyone, might take the plunge against Jay.

As soon as Capito's intentions started making the rounds, calls began coming in speculating about what was to come. The Hill newspaper in D.C. called me asking if I knew whether John Raese was going to take on Rockefeller. I said, in all honesty, I had no idea. Secretary of State Betty Ireland has been mentioned as a possibility, but I think she's still likely to seek the state Senate seat being vacated by Vic Sprouse.

Republicans across the state are torn about the whole issue, as previously described here. Giving Rockefeller and Gov. Joe Manchin free passes is a tempting option for some, in the hopes of making gains on the legislative level.

As for Capito, her decision guarantees at least one Republican member of the congressional delegation from West Virginia after the 2008 elections.

No one will defeat her, least of all Sen. John Unger, despite his efforts at self-recruitment. The betting here is that Shelley's opposition will again emerge from Kanawha County, not the Eastern Panhandle where she runs the strongest.

If Raese and Ireland don't do it, who could run against Rockefeller? Hmmm. Has anyone seen Hiram Lewis lately?