Tuesday, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell announced that he will resign his post on Feb. 20 to run for governor full time. There is nothing out of the ordinary about his decision. The past two attorneys general have done the same thing: Mark Earley in 2001 and Jerry Kilgore in 2005.

I have finally succumbed to the pressure… and it was intense. I’ve joined Facebook. For years now, coworkers have gone on and one about the website and high school and college friends have sent him email after email politely prodding me to join. Even my boss told me it was time to join this century and join. So I did it.

As a reporter, it is fascinating to have a front row seat to history. Make no mistake about it: covering an inauguration is work… HARD WORK. You are faced with near constant hassles, deadlines, security, cold, crowds and traffic. And as a spectator, you only miss one of those things… the deadlines. Still, it is worth it.

You may have noticed over the past several weeks that I’ve been wearing glasses. While it’s new to you, trust me… wearing glasses is nothing new to me!

Former Democratic National Party Chair and Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign Chair Terry McAuliffe kicked off his campaign for governor on Wednesday. It’s a three day kick-off that includes stops in all the parts of the state including his Thursday stop in Roanoke.

Today we saw history. John Warner, who represented the Commonwealth for 30 years in the US Senate, walked down the aisle of the Senate Chamber escorting his replacement, former Governor Mark Warner (of no relation). Behind them was Virginia’s other Senator, Democrat Jim Webb.

Happy New Year everyone. So, how many of you made resolutions this year? I count myself the category of a resolution maker. I feel like it’s a good time to assess life and fix what’s not working. So, here are a couple of my resolutions for 2009.

I usually try to blog about something that’s in the news or something that deals with my biggest passion: politics.

But, perhaps my second biggest passion is my dogs.

In a written statement, Moran wrote, “For the past 12 years I have represented Alexandria and Fairfax residents to the best of my ability. Yet as the new year begins, I will be campaigning full time across Virginia, sharing my vision for our future. They deserve the full attention of their representative in the legislative work this coming year.”

Does anyone else see the irony in GM, Ford, and Chrysler begging the federal government for money?

I have interviewed a lot of politicians, and I can say Huckabee is one of the nicest, most genuine that I have run across. When you get to his level, having managed a state for a decade and run a national campaign that was on the verge of grabbing the nomination (he won the IA caucuses), many politicians let it go to their head. Not Huckabee.

Recently, I have had several people ask me if Virgil Goode was wasting taxpayer money requesting a recount in his tight re-election bid. It’s a good question, since his challenger, Charlottesville attorney Tom Perriello, is leading Goode by less than half a percent. That means the localities in the 5th District will have to pick up the tab for the recount.

Here we go again. It was revealed today that warrants were issued today after an audit of the spending habits at the Greater Roanoke Transit Company (GRTC), which runs Valley Metro.

Given the state of the world in November 2008, it would be easy to be depressed. It’s only natural to look around at the state of our economy,  the terror attacks happening around the glob, our dwindling supply of oil, failing companies, and rising unemployment and fear for the future. In short, this Thanksgiving it would be expected to be more worried than thankful.

Obama seems to be going to the Clinton well more than he indicated he would and more than most expected.

Kaine has said repeatedly and forcefully that he will not be joining the Obama Administration before his time as governor is up. His current term ends in January 2010.

Is Virginia a blue state? A quick look at recent trends would certainly make one think so.

There should be no choice other than to vote.

I have never covered a presidential campaign like this one. The amount of attention Virginia is getting is jaw-dropping.

I would hate to be a pollster this election season. There are just too many variables to consider.

The life of a reporter assigned to following the presidential candidates around the country sounds glamorous. You’d think they’d be in the middle of it all, inside all the exciting rallies, witnessing history.

The annual Labor Day Parade in Buena Vista is a rare time when our politicians gather to work the crowd and sell their campaign messages all at the same time.

What will Kaine say tonight at the DNC? Will he go to DC if Obama wins? Just two of the questions I put to Kaine during our satellite interview.

In our media age, often time it’s the pictures that matter the most. We got a clear sense of that Monday and Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention. Sure, there have been some good and some great speeches at the convention.

if you’re tuning in tonight ready to hear Mark Warner blast John McCain or tear apart the Bush record, you may leave disappointed.

It feels like I’ve been gone for months, when in reality it was only two weeks.

There has been CONSIDERABLE chatter lately that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine will be Barack Obama’s choice for vice president.

If you need more proof that Virginia’s junior Senator is a rock star by Washington, DC standards, here you go. On Monday he’ll be on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central and he’ll be a guest on Charlie Rose’s show on PBS.

Earlier this week, I talked about Governor Tim Kaine’s chances of becoming Barack Obama’s running mate

That leaves Virginia with one last option: Gov. Tim Kaine. So, how likely is it that Obama will pick him? I would bet slim.