McCain assembles a steering committee in my home state of VA; Only I seem to care.

From The Shad Plank:

Here’s the list of lawmakers who have signed on with John McCain’s Virginia campaign:

 

Co-Chairs
Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore
Delegate Chris Saxman
U.S Senator John Warner

 

Steering Committee
U.S. Representative Tom Davis
Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger
Delegate Dave Albo
Delegate Bill Carrico
Delegate Tom Gear
Delegate Phil Hamilton
Delegate Clarke Hogan
Senator Robert Hurt
Delegate Terry Kilgore
Delegate Joe May
Delegate Don Merricks
Senator Ryan McDougle
Delegate Dave Nutter
Delegate John O’Bannon
Delegate Glenn Oder
Delegate Robert Orrock
Delegate Ed Scott
Delegate Bob Tata

The McCain campaign also put out a press release, from which the following snippet was taken:

U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today announced its Virginia Leadership Team that will lead the growing grassroots organization on behalf of John McCain’s candidacy in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 

“Thirty-five years ago, when I was Secretary of the Navy during the war in Vietnam, I came to know Commander John McCain well,” said Senator John Warner. “We established a bond of strong friendship and respect that has extended through our many years in the U.S. Senate.”

 

“John has a strong and unwavering commitment to the principles that he has so clearly put forward in this campaign. He is a proven leader. It has been a privilege for me to campaign for him and by his side in both South Carolina and Florida, and I look forward to working with this remarkable leadership team right here in Virginia as Senator McCain campaigns for the Presidency of the United States.”

 

John McCain thanked his Virginia leadership, saying, “I thank Senator Warner for his support and friendship. I am very proud of the team of supporters we have in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I am confident that with their leadership we are well on our way to victory on Super Tuesday.”

Let me just say as a brief aside that I have nothing but respect for Sen. McCain. He’s one of those people whose views are in opposition to my own on issue after issue, but whose views seem to have been reached honestly, and not merely for the benefit of a Liberal Massachusetts electorate political convenience. Furthermore, he has a likable demeanor and a dry sense of humor that once resulted in the near spewing of milk across my living room. With that said, a number of things are worth noting about this newly-minted steering committee:

1. Jerry Kilgore used to be Rudy Giuliani’s Virginia campaign chairman. Giuliani undoubtedly put some pressure on his key state level supporters to get behind McCain, which explains Kilgore’s new position as a co-chair for McCain’s Virginia effort.
2. Del. John O’Bannon has earned a seat on the McCain steering committee. Hopefully, this newfound responsibility will distract him from his unnecessary crusade against trippy plants.
3. Rep. Tom Davis is on the steering committee. Yes, that Rep. Tom Davis. I thought at first that maybe they were referring to Rep. Thomas Davis, a former Congressman. That Tom Davis, however, died in the late 1800’s and wasn’t a Virginia leader; he served in Rhode Island. Therefore, I can say with certainty that the Tom Davis on the McCain steering committee is Virginia’s own 11th District Representative. I can understand why Tom Davis would be politically friendly to the McCain campaign, and they to him, but I can’t understand why anyone would want to tap Tom Davis for his campaign steering skills.
4. Del. Terry Kilgore is listed as a committeeman. This was a smart move on the part of the McCain campaign. No campaign steering committee should be without a pair of twins.
5. It’s nice to see Secretary Eagleburger active in politics these days as one of McCain’s Virginia co-chairs. Let’s just hope this doesn’t mean that he’s putting his plans for an eponymous, politically-themed fast food chain on hold.

Lastly, and in all seriousness, I was genuinely confused by the quote from Sen. McCain at the end of the press release:

“I am very proud of the team of supporters we have in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and I am confident that with their leadership we are well on our way to victory on Super Tuesday.”

Is Sen. McCain under the impression that Virginia’s primary is on Super Tuesday, or does he just think that his leadership in Virginia will somehow result in strong showings in the Super Tuesday states? I’m sure he believes the latter. I, however, think that McCain’s Virginia campaign leadership will have minimal impact on the results of the Virginia primary, let alone the primaries and caucuses of Super Tuesday states such as New York and Minnesota, where most of the names on the list above mean nothing to the average voter, just as the backing of one of the Democratic candidates by a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives would mean nothing to me.