Warner, Allen Share Hotel; Big Tobacco Ruling Soon; College Students Earn Darwin Award

Today, a few miscellaneous posts.

Richmond's Jefferson Hotel Center of '08 Presidential Campaign Universe

We Virginians can't be faulted for dreaming, just a bit and for just awhile, of a return to the hey dey of Washington, Jefferson, Madison and all those other Virginia patriots of old. Yesterday, the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond hosted back-to-back political events for aspiring presidential contenders Mark Warner and George Allen.

Warner's group--200 big time early supporters--whooped it up in the afternoon before going off to the local NASCAR track for BBQ and racin'. Darned if they aren't good ol' boys!

Warner's crowd was followed that night at the hotel by a black tie fundraiser for Allen. Darned if ol' bubba Allen can't fit in with the country club set when it comes to money.

Warner and Allen missed bumping into each other later in the evening. Warner did spend a few moments schmoozing with the Allen Youth on his return to the hotel that night.

Fortunately, Allen will have a lot more time for these events (but not too many participants) after he loses the general election to Jim Webb in November.

Big Tobacco Update

Come the end of this week it will have been one year since the Government's racketeering trial against Big Tobacco came to a conclusion in the courtroom of federal judge Gladys Kessler in Washington. (The Curmudgeon knows because he was a member of Tobacco's defense team.)

Insiders predict a ruling sometime this week, perhaps on Friday afternoon so as not to rile the financial markets.

The Curmudgeon thinks a ruling will issue soon, but not quite this week. The Judge is likely to side with the Government in large part, but expect that to be just the first step in a lengthy appeal process that likely will end up in the Supreme Court on some key legal weaknesses in the Government's case.

In a couple days the Curmudgeon will post on why good tobacco policy translates into bad political results for Democrats.

Darwin Award For These Students

Two college students--a male and a female--were found dead inside a large deflated helium balloon (used to attract attention to a gas station), after they evidently suffocated trying to inhale the helium. Need we say more?