Va. Candidates Waffle Over Accepting Gitmo Prisoners

Jim Moran could help his brother's candidacy by, you know, not loving the terrorists so publicly

Look: no one in this country likes the Terrorists, except of course the Democrats. And no one wants to go out to the grocery store, open the cooler to grab a quart of milk only to find that one has instead grabbed the shirt of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

But it's still asking much of gubernatorial candidates, regardless of their opinions, to declare forthrightly: "Yes, our states would be glad to accept prisoners from Guantanamo Bay."

And so all three Democratic candidates for Virginia governor are keeping it vague on this issue. As for the sole Republican candidate, Bob McDonnell, well, merely shouting "NO" should suffice.

Robert F. McDonnell, the lone Republican candidate running this year, has staked out the clearest position: "Keep Guantanamo Bay Detainees Out of Virginia," read a recent statement from his campaign. Democrats Terry McAuliffe and R. Creigh Deeds issued more softly worded positions, with McAuliffe voicing "serious concerns" about housing detainees in Virginia and a Deeds spokesman saying it's a "bad idea." The third Democrat, Brian Moran, took no position, promising to evaluate Obama's plan "once it comes out."

And the unique circumstances of Brian Moran put him in the trickiest pickle of all. No one in Virginia, of course, even knows who Creigh Deeds and Brian Moran are. But unlike Deeds, Moran has a powerful brother, Jim, in Congress, and Jim recently opined in the Washington Post that Virginia should be glad to host Gitmo trials if asked.

So now Brian Moran must convince voters that no, it's his brother, HIS BROTHER is the one who wants to hand the Virginia state charter to the terrorists, not him. Not BRIAN. Brian is the one who HATES THE TERRORISTS (but will evaluate everything later).

Jim Newell writes for Wonkette and IvyGate.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us