Remember this?  “…we will have to see how many other elected officials rush to the Medal of Honor winner’s defense.”

It didn’t take long.

Less than 24 hours after his counterpart Sen. Mark Warner rushed to the defense of Col. Van T. Barfoot, Virginia Sen. Jim Webb has joined the fight. Webb has sent a letter to Karen S. Peterson, of the Sussex Square Homeowners Association in Henrico County to urge “reasonable resolution” to the situation.

His letter comes after Warner and the HOA had agreed to discuss the issue to prevent it from going to court.

The entire release from Webb can be found after the jump:

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Senator Webb Urges ‘Reasonable Resolution” of Homeowner Association Dispute Involving World War II Veteran’s Display of American Flag

Washington, DC – Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) today sent a letter to the legal representative, Karen S. Peterson, of the Sussex Square Homeowners Association in Henrico County to urge “reasonable resolution” of a homeowner dispute between the Association and Medal of Honor winner Colonel Van Barfoot over the installation of a flagpole in the yard of his home for purposes of displaying the American flag.

Senator Webb wrote in the letter, “As a fellow combat veteran, I hope you and the Association will consider the exceptional nature of Col. Barfoot’s service when considering his pride and determination in honoring our flag. I am pleased to join with many area citizens in expressing my concern over the action taken by the Sussex Square Homeowners Association.”

“Since it appears that Col. Barfoot’s request was denied based on subjective criteria as opposed to an explicit regulatory violation of the covenants governing the Homeowner’s Association, I would hope that your clients would exercise the discretion afforded to them to develop a reasonable resolution that would allow this distinguished combat veteran to honor our nation in a manner in keeping with the established traditions, customs and regulations governing the display of the flag of the United States of America,” wrote Senator Webb at the conclusion of the letter.

Text of the letter follows.

December 3, 2009

Karen S. Peterson
Attorney-at-Law
Coates & Davenport, P.C.
5206 Markel Road, Suite 200
Richmond VA 23230

Dear Ms. Peterson:

I have been made aware of a situation involving a dispute between your client, the Sussex Square Homeowners Association in Henrico County, Virginia, and a homeowner, Van Barfoot, a retired Army Colonel. It is my understanding that Col. Barfoot installed a flagpole in the yard of his home for purposes of displaying the American flag and that the Homeowners Association is now requiring him to remove this flag pole under threat of legal action.  I have been informed that the covenants governing this neighborhood association do not expressly forbid installation of flag poles and that the association opposed the flag pole on the grounds of its aesthetics.

I am mindful that the Association is a private entity, and I respect its right to regulate such matters. At the same time, as you are aware, Col. Barfoot served this country with great distinction, and I am very disturbed by the treatment that he received as he attempted to honor our nation by flying the American flag in the front yard of his home. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself “conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty.” As a fellow combat veteran, I hope you and the Association will consider the exceptional nature of Col. Barfoot’s service when considering his pride and determination in honoring our flag. I am pleased to join with many area citizens in expressing my concern over the action taken by the Sussex Square Homeowners Association.

Since it appears that Col. Barfoot’s request was denied based on subjective criteria as opposed to an explicit regulatory violation of the covenants governing the Homeowner’s Association, I would hope that your clients would exercise the discretion afforded to them to develop a reasonable resolution that would allow this distinguished combat veteran to honor our nation in a manner in keeping with the established traditions, customs and regulations governing the display of the flag of the United States of America.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb
United States Senator

Virginia Senator Mark Warner is jumping into the debate over a World War II veteran and his flag pole, that has caused so much disagreement in a Henrico homeowner’s association, that it could end up in court.

Col. Van Barfoot petitioned the Sussex Square Homeowner’s Association for the right to put up a flagpole in his front yard to fly the American Flag. The HOA turned down the request and told the Veteran he was welcome to fly the flag off the side of his house, but a separate pole in front of the house was not allowed. Col. Barfoot believes flying the American Flag in that manner is offensive and chose to put up the pole and fly the flag appropriately, despite the board’s wishes.

The aftermath has left a bitter squabble between the 90-year-old Medal of Honor winner and the elusive board, that refers all media questions to their attorney. This week they informed Barfoot that if the flag doesn’t come down by Friday they will take him to court.

That is when Mark Warner got involved. Warner, who developed a relationship with Barfoot  during his time as Governor, called the Veteran yesterday and sounded off on the controversy in a two-part tweet, where he called the HOA decision “plain wrong”.  The Senator told Colonel that he plans to write a letter to the HOA board and encourage them to come up with an amicable resolution to this problem. Warner also talked to our Tara Morgan about the controversy Wednesday night and said the following:

“I know that communities ought to have rules, but oh my gosh, if there’s a time to make an exception to the rule for somebody whose served our country Medal of Honor winner for World War II, at a time when our troops are in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan, maybe there’s no legal way for them, but sure as heck convince this subdivision to give this American hero a chance to raise his flag,”

- Sen. Mark Warner (D- Virginia)

There is no question that a sitting United States Senator, who operates at perhaps the highest level of government, could certainly have influence over a Homeowner’s Association which is perhaps the lowest level of government. But even Warner notes that legally there is no action he can take to force them to do so. If the HOA allows the flag to fly, it will be because they chose to reverse an earlier decision in the wake of public pressure. Something that despite an intense barrage of media coverage, they have chosen to not do yet.

So why does Warner choose to get involved in a battle that truly involves a very small number of people? As we mentioned the Senator does have a personal relationship with Col. Barfoot, but he also has a keen sense of which issues to jump on the bandwagon for, and he usually is there before any of his fellow politicians. Warner knew that public support for Col. Barfoot’s case is pretty high (This poll on nbc12.com shows that more than 90% of respondents are on his side) and that many people have a poor view of Homeowner’s Associations.

The question is, will Warner’s influence keep Col. Barfoot out of court? He has been offered free legal assistance by a local law firm and appears prepared to hold his ground. If it goes that far, we will have to see how many other elected officials rush to the Medal of Honor winner’s defense.

**Update**

A Facebook group has started in honor of Col. Barfoot’s effort to fly his flag. It now boasts more than 700 members.

**Update 2**

Senator Warner’s office just released a statement that claims they have reached an agreement with the HOA to come up with a solution to the Barfoot situation. Here is the statement from Warner’s spokesperson Kevin Hall:

“Today, the Sussex Square Homeowner’s Association Board voted unanimously to ask Senator Warner’s office to attempt to reach a reasonable solution in the dispute over a flagpole on property owned by Col. Van T. Barfoot. We intend to get to work right away to try to come up with a solution that’s acceptable to both Col. Barfoot and to the Homeowner’s Association.”
- Kevin Hall, Communications Director
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (Virginia)

See More:

*Tara Morgan’s story on this controversy from Wednesday night

*Andy Jenks’ original report on the controversy.

Governor-elect Bob McDonnell will spend Monday volunteering at the Central Virginia Foodbank. The Republican will be joined by two of his daughters at the Richmond non-profit.

The Foodbank has often been the beneficiary of McDonnell’s goodwill. During his time as Attorney General, he organized an event called “Statewide Legal Food Frenzy”. The drive was a challenge to law firms throughout the Commonwealth to raise food donations to give to organizations across Virginia.

Details regarding the event can be found below:

*MEDIA ADVISORY*
Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell to Volunteer at the Central Virginia Foodbank in Richmond Tomorrow

Virginia Governor-elect Bob McDonnell, along with two of his daughters, will volunteer with the Central Virginia Foodbank in Richmond tomorrow.

McDonnell is a longtime supporter of and advocate for Virginia’s Food Banks. As Attorney General he helped initiate and chaired the “Statewide Legal Food Frenzy,” a philanthropic competition among Virginia’s legal community benefiting Food Banks statewide.

The intense sprint across the Commonwealth ended in Richmond Saturday night for Democratic nominee for Governor Creigh Deeds. Sen. Deeds greeted an active group of volunteers at his coordinated campaign headquarters on Broad Street, with Attorney General nominee Steve Shannon. A visibly tired Deeds, still seemed upbeat and positive and did not seem all that concerned polls show him behind.  Instead he focused on a plan that his team has had in place for sometime that he believes has the potential to push him over the top, despite what the polls have to say.

I asked Deeds about a renewed focus on the so-called “surge” voters, people who came out to vote in the historic election of Barack Obama, but that don’t seem as inclined or enthusiastic to come out to vote for him. Deeds said that they have always worked to tap into that group, but starting October 1st they began the process of specifically identifying them and finding ways to get them to the polls. He said that both volunteers and paid staff members will have their boots on the ground getting Deeds voters to the polls.

Here is my entire interview with him, uncut:

I also talked to Steve Shannon, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, he and his campaign are pushing a story involving his opponent Ken Cuccinelli, where Cuccinelli discussed the AG’s office discrimination policy with the editorial board of the Virginian-Pilot. Their endorsement of  Shannon led to a Washington-Post called Cuccinelli’s remarks “bigotry”.  Shannon reminded me of that, but wasn’t prepared to call Cuccinelli a bigot himself.

Here is the clip:

They may not have the swagger or will bring the kind of crowds that the President of the United States can, but today Republican Gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell should get a pretty good injection of free media from GOP heavyweights Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.  The former Mayor of New York City and the former Governor of Massachusetts are both former and potential candidates for President and they have the potential to excite die-hard Republicans as we head down the homestretch.

It appears that in the waning days of the campaign, national Republicans are doing whatever they can to be a part of McDonnell’s success. Both Giuliani and Romney have stumped for McDonnell in the past and both have multiple events planned today. Giuliani, won’t even be with the candidate himself. McDonnell has appeared with at least 5 different prospective GOP presidential nominees over the course of the campaign. Yesterday he got another boost from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee who raised $75,000 at a breakfast in Newport News. (Huckabee was in town to deliver the keynote address for a Virginia conservative political action group)

The closest Giuliani will be to Richmond is Fredericksburg, Romney will make a stop with McDonnell here in the Capital City. Their full schedules can be found after the jump.

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McDonnell/Romney Tour of Virginia

What: Press Conference with Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, Ken Cuccinelli and Mitt Romney

When: 12:15 p.m.

Where: Westin Hotel
4535 Commerce Street
Virginia Beach
*****

What: Rally Featuring Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, Ken Cuccinelli and Mitt Romney

When: 3:30 p.m.

Where: Roanoke Airport
Landmark Aviation
22 Waypoint Drive, NW
Roanoke
*****

What: Press Conference with Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, Ken Cuccinelli and Mitt Romney

When: 4:45 p.m.

Where: Richmond Airport
Richmond Jet Center
5745 Huntsman Road
Richmond
————————————-

Former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, and Former Attorney General of Virginia, Jerry Kilgore, to Campaign for Bob McDonnell Today

-Events in Fredericksburg, Dumfries and Fairfax County-

Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City and Jerry Kilgore, former Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia, will campaign together for Bob McDonnell, Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia, TODAY, Wednesday, October 28th in Fredericksburg, Dumfries and Fairfax County. All events are open to the public.

All members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend.

Event Details

What: Rudy Giuliani and Jerry Kilgore Attend Rally at Fredericksburg Victory Office

When: 8:30 a.m.

Where: Fredericksburg Victory Office
7 Butler Road
Fredericksburg
*Other attendees include Speaker of the House of Delegates Bill Howell and Delegate Mark Cole

*****

What: Rudy Giuliani and Jerry Kilgore Attend Rally at the North Dumfries McDonnell-Lopez Campaign Headquarters

When: 10:00 a.m.

Where: McDonnell-Lopez Campaign Headquarters
17932 Fraley Boulevard
Dumfries
*Other attendees include Delegate Scott Lingamfelter, House candidates Rich Anderson and Raphael Lopez

*****

What: Rudi Giuliani and Jerry Kilgore Attend Rally at Greenspring Village Retirement Living Facility

When: 11:30 a.m.

Where: Greenspring Village
7410 Spring Village Dr.
Springfield
*Other attendees include Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity and House candidate Joe Bury

Despite mixed signals about another visit to Virginia from President Barack Obama, for candidate Creigh Deeds, today the campaign announced that Former Vice President Al Gore would headline a fundraiser for the Democrat. Gore will join Deeds at the home of Al and Claire Dwoskin, longtime supporters of Virginia Democrats.

The fundraiser is set to take place this Friday. There will not be a companion public rally, for Deeds supporters.

While Mr. Obama has still not agreed to another visit in support of Deeds, he has made plans to stump for New Jersey Governor John Corzine, who is now locked in a race that is too close to call.

While the President hasn’t made his way South of the Potomac for Mr. Deeds, he  did visit a construction site in Northern Virginia today to highlight examples of the Federal Government’s stimulus plan at work. The visit was a White House function, not a political one and Deeds did not take part. The candidate did however release a statement calling the visit an example of ways the  “Recovery Act is making a real difference in the lives of Virginians.”

Republicans did not view the President’s photo opportunity the same way. The RPV released a statement that featured a headline that read “Obama visit highlights rift with Deeds, roads spending failure.”

You can read the statements from Deeds and the RPV on the Obama visit after the jump.

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DEEDS STATEMENT ON FAIRFAX COUNTY PARKWAY EXTENSION

NORFOLK – Sen. Creigh Deeds, the Democratic nominee for governor, released the following statement on Wednesday in response to President Barack Obama’s visit to a transportation project for Northern Virginia made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“Today’s visit highlights how President Obama’s Recovery Act is making a real difference in the lives of Virginians. Projects like the Fairfax County Parkway Extension will help lessen the daily commuting burden for thousands of Northern Virginia families, and will help facilitate the BRAC expansion of military jobs at Fort Belvoir.

“These transportation successes would not have happened if Bob McDonnell had gotten his way. Earlier this year, my opponent praised Republican Congressional leaders for blocking President Obama’s Recovery Act. And today, one of those leaders — John Boehner from Ohio — is even hosting a fundraiser for Bob.

“It’s no wonder editorial boards across the state have said that a vote for Bob is a vote for traffic gridlock, while calling my plan the only honest approach that has worked in Virginia.

“Today, we’ve witnessed how the Recovery Act is helping to build transportation infrastructure in Virginia.”
—————————————-
Obama’s Virginia Visit Highlights Rift with Deeds, Roads Spending Failure
- POTUS in Fairfax to Tout Federal Transportation $, Virginia Dead Last -
- Deeds Nowhere to be Seen, Kaine in Roads Spending “Time Out?” -
- Reminds Voters that Deeds has No Transportation Plan Other than Tax Hike -

FAIRFAX – President Barack Obama’s visit to Fairfax today to highlight federal spending on transportation projects in Virginia simultaneously draws attention to the White House’s displeasure with Democratic candidate for governor Creigh Deeds and Virginia’s status as the worst state in utilizing federal roads dollars. Deeds proved to be nowhere to be found at the president’s event, which also did not feature Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine, who “successfully” guided Virginia into 51st place – behind all other states and the District of Columbia – in using federal money earmarked for transportation projects.

Our NBC12 liveblog was very active tonight. More than 600 participants logged on with more than 400 comments.

You can look back on what people had to say by clicking below:

NBC12 Coverage of Gubernatorial Debate McDonnell vs. Deeds

It may not be at the point where it can be described as an outright trend, but there is certainly a pattern of Democratic Attorney General candidate Del. Steve Shannon, benefiting from advocacy groups splitting their endorsements among parties in his favor.

In general, most endorsement announcements from major advocacy groups are rarely a surprise. Pro-business groups generally get behind Republicans, pro-labor groups behind Democrats and so on and so on.  From time to time, these groups will surprise people by braking ranks, like for instance when the National Rifle Association supported Creigh Deeds in 2005 in the race for Attorney General.

However in 2009, a number of groups that can be objectively described as “pro-business” have decided to support Bob McDonnell for Governor, and then Steve Shannon for Attorney General. McDonnell has heavily touted his support from the business community and used many of these endorsements as an example of that success. In a recent release announcing the support of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, McDonnell said the endorsement was noteworthy because “This campaign is about who is best prepared to lead an economic resurgence in Virginia in the years ahead as our next governor.”

Generally these organizations who focus on the economy don’t focus as much on the race for Attorney General, but the Shannon campaign has made an aggressive push to garner that support, particularly with organizations in Northern Virginia. The results have paid off as these groups have stuck with the top of the GOP ticket, but then have reached out to give Shannon their support instead of Sen. Ken Cuccinelli.

Here are at least 5 examples where endorsements have gone to McDonnell and Shannon:
Virginia Realtors Association
Associated Builders & Contractors
Northern Virginia Technology Council
Fairfax Chamber of Commerce
Virginia Credit Union League

In addition to these 5 endorsements, Shannon also seemed to at least be in the running for the support of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, before they ultimately endorsed Cuccinelli several weeks after they endorsed in the race for Governor and Lt. Governor.  The NFIB eventually said that Cuccinelli had their “whole-hearted” support.

Cuccinelli’s campaign disagrees that there is any sort of trend and pointed to the Senator’s lengthy list of endorsements from a wide variety of groups including the NRA, The Farm Bureau and the very important nod, (especially in an Attorney General’s race) of The Fraternal Order of Police. Furthermore, Cuccinelli’s campaign claims that Shannon is working hard to play up these endorsements as a way to hide his major support from big union interests.  Shannon does have the support of the SEIU and the AFL-CIO and has received around $150,000 in donations from union based groups.

While this at first, this seems like good news for Shannon, it does come with a caveat for Democrats. If he is the only Democrat receiving that support it could mean one of two things. 1- These groups don’t support policies that democratic voters agree with but do support him or 2-If he is the only Democrat earning this support, that means the top of the ticket has problems.

It is worth noting that when touting these endorsements Shannon comes very close to tying himself to the Republican nominee for Governor.  In the press release touting the Northern Virginia Technology Council endorsement  the Shannon campaign pointed out that “The NVTC endorsement comes just two days after the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce’s NOVABizPAC announced its formal support of Shannon’s candidacy. Both groups offered endorsements to members of both parties this year, endorsing Shannon alongside Republican gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell.”

How do Democrats feel about Steve Shannon being lauded “alongside” the current Republican standard bearer?

Shannon and Cuccinelli of course continue to fight for headlines in a hot governor’s race, but tomorrow will meet in a high profile debate on WTOP radio. The debate starts at 10am and will be streamed live on WTOP’s web site. You can listen here.

Former Governor of Virginia and Mayor of Richmond L. Douglas Wilder told me this afternoon that he knows who he plans to endorse in the race for his old position and is set to make that announcement “tomorrow or maybe the next day.”

Wilder told me that in this week alone he has had conversations with representatives from both the White House and Governor’s office.  Wilder also said that he has met, in person, with both candidates, Republican Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds, as well.

Last night at a forum held at Virginia Union University, which specifically dealt with issues facing the African-American community, McDonnell mentioned his work with Wilder on multiple occasions. After his remarks McDonnell told me that he is still actively courting the former Governor’s support.  ”I would be honored and delighted to get an endorsement or some sort of support from such a historic figure,” said McDonnell.

While Wilder, in his trademark fashion, has appeared to give McDonnell fainting hope that he may break party ranks, few believe that the nation’s first black governor will not stick with his fellow Democrat. Wilder has often reminded reporters that he has never endorsed a Republican in a race of this magnitude. His former close aide Paul Goldman recently told me that his former boss would not risk alienating his relationship with President Barack Obama, who has made it clear to Wilder who he would like him to support.

Wilder would not tip his hand during our conversation today, but perhaps provided some insight when I asked him if it was realistic to propose a transportation plan that does not include raising taxes.  The former Governor, who dealt with his own share of fiscal turmoil during his time in office, laughed and said, “that will be part of what I talk about when I share my endorsement.”  The transportation debate took an interesting turn today, when Senator Deeds revealed his plan in an editorial in the Washington Post and the Fairfax Chamber of Commerce endorsed McDonnell, based largely on his plan to deal with the issue.

Wilder did tell me that his announcement will not come in the form of a raucous rally or even a press conference. He said he plans to release a simple statement regarding his support. When I asked if his endorsement will include active campaigning or stumping for his chosen candidate, he simply said, “We will have to see, won’t we?”

Once again perhaps Richmond’s most prolific politician has us all waiting on the edge of our seats.

Below, find Bob McDonnell’s comments from last night’s forum at VUU.

VA Tech victims Colin Goddard and Omar Samaha just released a statement encouraging voters not to support Sen. Creigh Deeds in the race for the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The language in the e-mail and its late timing had raised suspicions that the statement was encouraged by the campaigns of one or both of Deeds’ opponents, Brian Moran or Terry McAuliffe.

I just spoke to Colin Goddard and his father Andy. Goddard told me that he and Samaha and many other Virginia Tech families had watched a recent debate and had decided that Creigh Deeds was unacceptable in their eyes. He said that the families were split between Moran and McAuliffe.

However, when I asked Goddard directly about the involvement of either campaigns, he confirmed that he had received assistance from Terry McAuliffe’s campaign. Specifically he said the campaign provided he and Samaha with a press e-mail list to distribute their statement. He said the e-mail was supposed to go out Sunday, but an error was made in the sending process delaying it until today.

He denied that the campaign encouraged their efforts, and emphatically stated that the decision to release the statement was his and Samah’s idea, but he said the McAuliffe campaign was helpful in getting the information out.

When I asked Goddard who he would be voting for tomorrow, he said he had waited too long to register for an absentee ballot and was not going to be able to get to his home voting location in Richmond, so therefore would not be casting a ballot.

Goddard went further and told me that if Deeds were to be nominated tomorrow, that he and other VA Tech family members would have to have a serious conversation with the candidate. He said they would need specific assurances before they could give their support to Deeds in a race against Bob McDonnell.

McAuliffe Press Secretary Lis Smith confirmed their campaign’s involvement:

“Omar and Colin had a letter they wanted to send to the press about the primary. They asked us for a list of reporter emails and we provided the list.”
 
Brian Moran’s campaign said they had nothing to do with the statement. Campaign spokesperson Jesse Ferguson would only say the following:

“These folks have earned the right to have their opinion known and have their opinion stand on its own.”

**UPDATE**

I just received a statement from Creigh Deeds himself, reacting to the statement from the Colin Goddard and Omar Samaha:

“My heart has gone out to all of the victims and the families of the Virginia Tech tragedy.  There are certain events that happen in our lifetime that are above politics.  And I’m not going to comment on any campaign that would exploit this tragedy.”