Gentlemen

Wow. We wish we had bet the mortgage on Creigh Deeds. The payout from his landslide win in the Democratic gubernatorial primary would have allowed us a sweet week in, say, Bermuda or perhaps even Moose Jaw.

Deeds won for two essential reasons: He ran the superior campaign and he offered the most reasonable platform. Deeds finished first just about everywhere. He husbanded his resources until late in the race and did not squander a fortune on early, and futile, television buys. The frugality of his operation, dictated in part by circumstance, says something positive about his approach to government. Of the three candidates, Deeds stood closest to the center in a party that is center-left. His planks likely put him a little to the left in a state that is simply center, but during the contest he appeared less inclined to push the ideological buttons. Brian Moran doomed himself by lurching too far. Terry McAuliffe recalled all the worst aspects of the Clinton era. It may be that he never was the serious contender commentators, ourselves included, considered him to be.

Although the official reaction from Virginia Republicans did not go to the rhetorical extremes exhibited by the preposterous ukase issued by Virginia Democrats upon the nomination of the GOP statewide ticket [note today's third editorial], the statement from Republican headquarters had its moments. In his closing lines, party chairman Pat Mullins asserted: "Finally, the rejection of Terry McAuliffe indicates that even Democrats are disillusioned about the direction their party and leadership have taken. When a wealthy, insider-financed, nationally prominent, personal friend of the Clintons is rebuked in such a manner, it is a clear indicator of a party in disarray from top to bottom."

Please. McAuliffe took considerable heat, principally from Moran, for being a latecomer to Barack Obama's cause and direction. Had McAuliffe won, of course, the RPV would have blasted Democrats for nominating a symbol of Clintonian excess. The emphatic repudiation of McAuliffe strikes many as an example of good taste.

Smart liberals understand. The Nation's John Nichols writes: "But there can be no question that for the Virginia (and national) Democrats -- even those Democrats who don't know Deeds all that well, or who don't agree with him on all the issues -- the fact that they won't have to spend this election season trying to make excuses for Terry McAuliffe can only be read as good news."

McDonnell responded to Deeds' triumph with grace. He congratulated the winner, said he enjoyed the Democratic campaign so much that he wished the candidates would keep at it for a while longer, and urged Deeds to take a well-deserved vacation from politics.

Deeds and McDonnell are gentlemen. If it were up solely to them, the general election would be tough but clean, serious with flashes of fun. But because the stakes loom large, the national parties, ideological organizations, and less reputable fronts ensure a steady stream of slime. Canada, here we come.