Victories and defeats Asked what gave him the most

Victories and defeats Asked what gave him the most pride, he thought for a moment before responding.

“I have a proudest achievement, and a best day,” he said. “I’m most proud of the fact that most Virginians feel that things are going in a positive direction.”

Then he started rattling off the accomplishments ... Virginia being the best-managed state, according to Governing Magazine ... number one in water quality standards ... biggest increase in math SAT scores ... but he really warmed to the subject when he got to the second part.

“The best day involved a part of the state that to some extent has been left behind, Southside Virginia. The best day was when I could announce that 300 software jobs were coming to Russell County, lb bring 21st-century jobs to that community means that young people can stay at home, and that was one of the reasons I wanted this job in the first place.”

Warner said he spends a good deal of time studying polity, though he claimed that he was only a “pragmatic policy wonk.

“I believe that the perfect can be the enemy of the good,” he said. “Results are more important to me than the process.”

Warner then said with some amazement in his voice about the partisanship that he thinks has plagued politics in the state and the country, “What other business, other than politics, can you be successful by making the other guys look bad?

“In Virginia, I think that part of our success is that we’ve tried to get stuff done and not call the other guy names.”

When Warner entered office, he faced a budget that was $6 billion in deficit and bleeding red ink, and a General Assembly that was in the hands of the other party. The credit rating of the state was in jeopardy. He leaves office with a budget that is a billion dollars in surplus, with a credit rating that is sterling.

“Everything we’ve done has