ALSO front-page WaPo.Among the millions of wavering voters in the presidential race, the most prominent might be West Virginia's Joe Manchin -- a U.S. senator, a candidate for reelection and a lifelong Democrat who, less than two weeks out, is undecided about whether to support Barack Obama again.
Didn't a convicted felon beat out the One in the Dem primary?
Manchin isn't alone among West Virginia Democrats attempting to separate themselves from the president. The governor, Earl Ray Tomblin, and a prominent congressman, Nick J. Rahall II -- both facing reelection challenges -- have also declined to publicly endorse Obama.
Choices have consequences.
A federal "war on coal" has harmed West Virginia and united Democratic dissenters against the Obama administration, Manchin declared in an interview last week, observing of the president's electoral fate: "I think he knows he's not going to do well in our state. . . . And you know what? It's personal. When people lose their jobs, they look at you and ask, 'So, what am I to do?' And they blame him."
Ah, yes. Here we go!
During this year's West Virginia Democratic primary, a Texas prison inmate received about 41 percent against Obama in a protest vote, with Manchin carefully committing to no one.