Washington Post sides with McDonnell on charter schools

If the editors of the Washington Post intend to issue their usual endorsement of Virginia Democrats this fall, they’re pulling one heck of a misdirection.  Just over a month after they warmly endorsed Creigh Deeds to be nominated by the Democrats, they criticize him (justifiably) for his weakness on educational choice and praise Bob McDonnell for his “full-throated support of charter schools.”  They even go so far as to label McDonnell’s “favoring ways to give parents more of a choice in their children’s schooling” as “reform-minded” (typical center-left reaction to educational choice is to go into apoplexy).

I agree with TQ Norm‘s skepticism about the Post actually going for McDonnell (the paper hasn’t endorsed a statewide Republican for office since Mark Earler’y AG race in 1997), but it will certainly make any Post endorsement for the Democrats much weaker.