GOP Whip

This week Missouri's Roy Blunt said he will not run for another term as House Republican whip. The way appears clear for Eric Cantor to rise to the GOP's No. 2 leadership position. No one who has followed Cantor's career is surprised.

Cantor -- whose wife Diana serves on the board of directors of Media General, this newspaper's corporate parent -- arrived in Washington in 2001 well-prepared. During his nine years in the House of Delegates he earned a reputation as a budget hawk. Indeed, the legislature might have avoided much of the fiscal discomfort of the past decade if it had followed his advice. His knowledge of foreign policy and national security gave him a post-9/11 mind-set prior to 9/11. Blunt recognized Cantor's gifts when he appointed him chief deputy whip.

Cantor regularly appears on talk shows to make his party's case on the issues. This summer his name surfaced as a possible running mate for John McCain. In conversations with members of the Editorial staff, he has lamented the GOP's drift. The Republican Party needs new faces. It is time for generational change. Eric Cantor is well suited to help lead the GOP out of the wilderness.