Flip... In July, [Rep. Tom Davis] co-wrote a forceful letter warning Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) that switching to an underground route in Tysons could jeopardize federal funding for the 23-mile line. The warnings, repeated in later meetings, persuaded Kaine to reject a tunnel in September.... FLOP!Virginia "may very well be rolling the dice on the future of this project," warned the letter... "Simply put, we are concerned about the long-term viability of the project with any decision that could delay it."
Last weekend, Davis appeared at a rally of tunnel supporters in Vienna, wearing a pro-tunnel sticker and declaring that elected officials must do everything they can to determine whether an underground route is possible.... "I just want to assure you I'd like to see this below ground," Davis told the crowd of 400.Unbelievable. Rep. Davis sends a threatening letter to Gov. Kaine - which pushed Kaine into his current position - and then cuts the Governor's legs out once his wife's reelection is at issue? Sheesh. As Chap points out: "I guess if you take both sides of an issue you can never be wrong ... seems to me people want to get credit for both sides."
Anyway, I'm pro-tunnel, so any support is welcome. And I've been wondering why Rep. Davis hasn't been pushing for a congressional fix to the arbitrary law for a while - nice to see him finally trying to "build[] congressional support for preserving federal funding for the project if it switches to a tunnel." Where were you six months ago?
Back to Rep. Davis, An intellectually honest person would've at least explained his shift on the issue, but all Rep. Davis says is that he's a "responsible official" who is "roll[ing] with the punches." The Governor and his constituents deserve a better explanation than a bunch of self-serving labels and cliches. I mean, just check out the contrast between his two positions:
In their July letter, Davis ... warned that a delay to switch designs would drive up costs and could throw the project out of the running for the federal funding it needs. "The bottom line is this: Northern Virginia cannot afford to lose this project," they wrote.At Saturday's rally, Davis said it would be both "good and bad" if the project collapses as a result of its costs running too high, because that would "open it up" to starting over with a tunnel.
In July, losing the project was such a horrible outcome that it was something the region couldn't afford. Six months later, losing the project is no big deal! Maybe it's even a "good" thing, Davis screamed to a cheering crowd!
And interesting how it runs in the family:
Only last month, Devolites Davis discouraged tunnel supporters when she cut off the group's leader, Scott Monett, during a presentation he was making in Richmond. At Saturday's rally, she drew cheers by saying she and other lawmakers would pressure Kaine to reconsider.Like Chap says, the Davis family is bound to be right on the issues when they've been supporting both sides of the issues.
He's a terrific puppetmaster and conductor when it comes to the media.
Maybe he is also gathering courage now that he can't get any more free vacations from lobbyists.
Sure, we're glad he "sees the light" now. But his short-sighted leadership is what got us here in the first place. If he had this attitude at any time from 2002-2006, we may not have had this hole to dig out of. Now, I got news for him -- nobody in federal government (Congress or otherwise) cares what he thinks about federal funding of ANY project. And him throwing Tim Kaine under the bus for adopting the position Davis forced on him is offensive. The man is nothing short of despicable.
The fact that this organization's leadership pushed Davis and wife to the forefront of this effort ahead of other community leaders who have been working tirelessly for a tunnel solution undermined its credibility with me, and many other people in the community.
Its obvious that when they wrote their articles the McLean tunnel was the farthest thing from their minds. My oh my how fast things change.