The Republicans once had it all. They controlled all three branches of the government. The result has been a mess that will take years to fix. The dollar has plunged versus the Euro. We are mired in a war in Iraq in which there is no easy solution. The real estate industry is collapsing. But this story is not about the Republican failures.

Virginia Republican, Senator John Warner is retiring. A class act who served his country well. He spoke his mind and suggested what was best for his country. The Rasmussen poll is showing that his namesake, former Democratic Governor, Mark Warner is 20% ahead of his closest competitor if he should run for the Senate seat being vacated by John Warner.

This will be just another seat being lost by the Republicans. A popular candidate, such as Mark Warner, will only help the Democratic candidate for President capture the electoral votes of Virginia.

2008 is shaping up to be a very bad year for the Republicans but President Bush will retire as the undefeated champion who wrecked his party.

Looks like the GOP will have two more holes to plug in its leaky ship in '08. Larry Craig's resignation seems imminent, as pressure mounts from within his party. And now longtime Virgina senator John Warner has announced he won't be seeking reelection next year.

``I'm quietly going to step aside and clear the way for others,'' Warner, 80, said at a press conference in Charlottesville. ``I've done my best.'' ...

Replacing Warner next year will set off a heated battle as Republicans seek to overcome the Democrats' 51-49 majority control of the Senate.

Among the names already being bandied about to run for Warner's seat are former governor James Gilmore and Representative Tom Davis on the Republican side. The Dems may run former governor Mark Warner.

Virginia was a battleground in '06, with underdog Dem. Jim Webb coming from behind to beat the increasingly clueless George Allen, and now it's shaping up to be just as crucial next November.

In an announcement that could have huge ramifications in the 2008 balance of power battle in the Senate between Democrats and Republicans, Senator John Warner will announce later today whether or not he will seek re-election next year. From last night:

Sen. John Warner will announce tomorrow at the University of Virginia whether or not he intends to seek a sixth term, according to two top Virginia sources. Warner is planning a 2 p.m. news conference on the grounds of the Charlottesville, Va., school, where he took his law degree over 50 years ago. The Virginian will give his speech near the statue of Thomas Jefferson on the steps of the school's famous Rotunda, adding a fitting Warner flourish to the event.

If Warner goes, I'd have to give the advantage to Democrats for his seat. Former Democrat Governor Mark Warner is still very popular in Virginia, and would be a formidable contender. On the Republican side, you would have Rep. Thomas M. Davis and former Gov. Jim Gilmore vying to replace Warner. As Davis has already set in motion a statewide get-to-know-the-candidate tour, and has already raised over a million dollars, he would probably be in the lead on the GOP side early on. There's even a good chance that he'd run against Warner in a primary, should Warner choose to seek re-election.

I haven't hid my disdain for what the distinguished Warner has become in the last year -- I've written here twice on the trouble with his recollections on personal experiences during the Vietnam War, which he claims is defining his calls for an exit from Iraq. Quite simply, he's old and way past his prime -- reduced to playing for posterity and media approval. It's long past time for the GOP to get new blood into the party, more of the type that ran and won in 1994. In particular, the Senate has become too much like the British House of Lords, with members "to the manner born" and appointed. If rebuilding the party means that a chance to regain the majority in the Senate will have to wait another couple of years, so be it.

The Washington Times is reporting this morning that it looks increasingly likely that Virginia Republican Senator John Warner is going to retire at the end of his term in 2008, rather than run for re-election.

Virginia Sen. John W. Warner has said little about whether he will run for re-election, but the 80-year-old Republican is giving clear indications that he will not return for another term and that his coyness is merely an attempt to help Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, a fellow Republican, replace him.

While Warner has publicly stated that he is exploring the option of running for re-election, he's only raised $500 (that's right - five hundred dollars) so far in his campaign coffers. That's a pretty clear indication that he's not running.

An early favorite to replace him on the Republican side is Congressman Tom Davis. Any eventually Republican candidate would likely face former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (D), who remains very popular state-wide. Add to that the fact that Republicans have not fared well in Virginia statewide office elections recently, and a Davis-Warner match-up could be a barn-burner.

According to Hotline on Call, the National Journal's Daily Political Blog, the ex-Governor of Virginia, Mark Warner, is holding a news conference at 11:00am today to announce that he is not seeking the nomination of the Democrat Party for President in 2008. If true, this seems like very good news for Hillary Clinton's ambitions, since Warner was seen as one of the few true popular Democrat moderates who could give her a run for her money in the primary.

This will probably mean that Hillary will be facing Democrat opponents during the primary season that are well to the left of where she has positioned herself as a Senator. While she will have to tack left to win over the base of the Democrat Primary voters, the elimination of someone like Mark Warner means that she will probably be able to do that, then tack back to the middle for the general election, without paying having to pay too much of a price from Democrat moderates.

Editor's Update: Warner has officially bowed out. Read the full text of his statement.