News-Press Editorial

What is most heartening about the unfolding of the Democratic presidential primaries to date is the uncommon degree of passion driving the convictions of voters to defeat President Bush in November. Whatever the nuances of difference between the contenders, to Democratic voters, the only real criterion for making a choice is the capacity of the candidates to beat Bush. That passion is not going to wane, so it matters little how long the battle rages for the Democratic nomination, even if right up to the convention at the end of July.

It can be argued that a chorus of strong candidate voices railing against the Bush administration over the next few months will be more effective for the ultimate Democratic objective than only one. If the Democrats end the process too soon, then it will give Bush more time to focus on a single target in an attempted counterpunch.

Democrats are going to be united coming out of the July convention, no matter what. Bush is seeing to that. But all the Democratic contenders who remain in the race have important contributions to make to the party's and the nation's debate about the issues and qualifications for the next president, and there's time to truly test the metal of them all before considering the matter concluded prematurely.

As for this newspaper, the primary results to date have not caused us to waver one bit in our support for former Governor Howard Dean. We consider him the most electable and the most principled on issues that matter to us most. We urge the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the primary here next Tuesday to vote for the person they consider most qualified, and not to either jump on anyone's bandwagon simply based on results so far or, worst of all, stay away in the belief that the outcome is already sealed. After all, we've already seen how the results in South Carolina and Oklahoma this Tuesday departed from the previous norm. As a large southern state, Virginia's vote next Tuesday will be very important for determining how the process will move forward in the weeks ahead.

Outcomes in the upcoming primaries could be as surprising as the one in Iowa that gave Sen. John Kerry his unanticipated jump start. Sen. Kerry has yet to prove he can win in the South, and all the biggest states have yet to weigh in. Too many people these days want quick lunches and quick resolutions to just about everything. There's an aversion to stick-to-it-iveness and anything stretching ye olde attention span too much.

But, be that as it may, it's simply way too soon for anyone who is still in the running to jump ship because of the results so far. There are not many times in history when average citizens have the opportunity to make a real difference in deciding who the next president of the U.S. will be as Virginians will have who go to the polls next Tuesday.