Warner, Perriello a strong ticket in 5th

Sallie Kate Park Albemarle County
Published: October 28, 2008

We in the 5th District have the opportunity to help send two respected and proven men to Congress. Former Gov. Mark War-ner’s record of fiscal responsibility and ability to work across the aisle are such that he has even won the backing of two former Republican leaders of the Virginia legislature.

Tom Perriello is a young man with a professional background in national security, a proven record in helping bring peace to a war-torn African nation and the critical experience of working with the people and local leaders in Afghanistan, a country the Bush administration has neglected. A man of deep faith, he and his volunteers tithe 10 percent of their time for community service.

Tom’s opponent, Virgil Goode, a strong supporter of Bush, lacks these skills and has one of the lowest records in Congress. He has sponsored few bills; his only national publicity was the disgraceful ranting against a fellow congressman who took the oath of office on his sacred text, the Koran.

Granted, Virgil is skilled at staying in the public eye by having his photo and that of many constituents in the local papers, in writing letters to voters and being visible “back home,” but those are not skills essential to dealing with the critical economic and international challenges we face today.

Time is of the essence. Vote for two highly qualified candidates with the proven skills and professional records to deal with our nation’s most critical issues since the Great Depression — Mark Warner and Tom Perriello.