Either that or he's about to announce that he's running for President. 

He hasn't been fundraising.

Neither he nor Tom Davis have quashed the rumor that Davis is Warner's preference for his successor.

Yesterday, Warner grabbed the front page with his proposal for a symbolic withdrawal of troops.

Warner said he went public as a matter of conscience, but added that he'd leave the actual decisions to Bush while Warner would continue to vote against Congressionally imposed timetables.

Today, the White House asked Warner to clarify that he wasn't "breaking" with Bush.  Warner refused.

I think we're seeing a gradual break with Bush and a gradual retirement announcement from Warner.

I want to see him pass the torch of responsible statesmanship, albeit very late and with one foot out the door, to Tom Davis.

If Davis is serious about his political future, he'll take the torch and run with it, because Gilmore (or Allen or just about anyone else) will grab the GOP diehards.

Any time that there's a persistent rumor that you're retiring, you HAVE to get out in front of it and crush it unless you're very seriously considering it.  Especially in such a toxic atmosphere for Republicans.  His delay in announcing just seems to be a strategy to keep the Democrats at bay. 

However, it was a very weak condemnation.  5,000 troops?  3 percent?  And whenever Bush feels like.  That's pretty damn sad.  I was thinking it would be kind of a pre-retirement face-saving move, but the content of his "wavering" reads more like posturing for anti-war independents while not angering the base too much.

As stated above, John Warner isn't even making an effort to pull money together.  At 80 I think he's probably looking forward to retirement -- at least from national politics.

As far as Warner's view on the war goes, he made a very tempered statement.  He didn't burn bridges with the GOP base by going after Bush.  A cynic might say that he didn't do this for political motivations -- I see this as more of a kid gloves approach with our Ignoramus in Chief.  Bush is likely to resist any criticism -- no matter how tempered.

On the one hand, John Warner is desperate to see a draw down -- and I sincerely believe that he wants to get some troops home in time for Christmas.  On the other, I don't think this technique will have any sway with this president.  Bush is desperate to drag this issue out so that he can dump it on his successor.  I think there's a pretty good chance that he might try to expand the war before all is said and done.  What a crying shame it is whether or not John Warner seeks re-election. 

retiring obviously and didn't want to go out with Iraq hanging around his neck. It's strictly political, 5000 troops is not significant enought to even matter at this point. This is his "last stand" so to speak. He sees the way the wind is blowing and wants to look like he's on the right side. We'll see how he votes on de funding when it comes up again. Then we'll see how serious he is.

Note that at the very moment that Warner is making his supposedly anti-Bush grandstand, his supposed heir, Tom Davis is meeting with the True Blue base to take his lumps on the war?

I don't think that's coincidence.

I think this is grande theatre of the country club GOP elite, pandering for moderates to protect the Warner legacy by passing the torch to Tom Davis.

Remember, the purpose of aristocracy is to protect aristocrats.  If a Democrat wins John Warner's seat, it guts the VA Gerrymandered Old Party.

John is just like Virgil Goode. He is a fixture in the households of VA. and probably the Nation. Just look how the media is on his ever word. Yes some would say the media is clamoring for news, now that congress is out, BUT.

Does John Warner need a big war chest to win in VA, I think not. Too many Virginians love him. At least he is not a racist and bigot.

He claims to be for the military, but if he were he would have come up with a plan and pushed the President to go along with it, not these tid bits of info he offers, then votes against..

The Iraqi political situation is a disaster. There will be no good outcome (short of the civil war). Warner doesn't want to be on the wrong side of history there. Our military is useless in this atmosphere.

In Virginia, he moves away from the Whitehouse to stay with his moderates and independents. He has dismissed the wingers, and if there is one thing those weepy bastards understand it is being marginalized, and being angry about it.

He's retiring. Tom Davis will meet Mark Warner, and lose.