Virginia's governor and former governors are whining about term limits. It's not exactly surprising, considering politician's usual aversion to anyone placing limits on their power. Virginia Governors are not allowed to run for re-election, although they can sit out 4 years and run again.

Refusing to allow a governor to run for a second consecutive term, he said, is "a great distortion of the politics of the state" and should be fixed now.

"What we want is the opportunity for the governor to go back to the people and make their case," [former Governor James] Gilmore said. "The people are very largely disenfranchised."

That's idiotic. The voters are still allowed to vote. They are no more disenfranchised than they are because Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or anyone under age 35 cannot be elected President. Disenfranchisement used to mean that you were being denied your legal rights or priviledges. Since November of 2000 it has morphed into a buzzword that usually means politicians aren't getting their way. It is very quickly becoming Godwin's Second Law.

But former Governor Gilmore is not alone in his criticism. Sitting Governor Mark Warner also would very much like to serve a second term.

Two years ago, Warner failed in a bid to persuade lawmakers to remove the restriction.

Warner's chief of staff, William Leighty, told the panel that the governor still is hopeful that the succession limitation can be removed.

Any change in term limits should come with the stipulation that it cannot benefit sitting politicians. To illustrate just how desperate politicians are when it comes to political power, you need to look no further than the American Northwest, were lawmakers have their own private Idaho:

In 1994, Idaho voters instituted term limits through a voter referendum. The measure passed with 59% of the vote.

Stunned, lawmakers put the measure on the ballot again in 1998. Despite a brutal campaign of political rhetoric and lies, the Idaho voters reaffirmed the measure with 54% of the vote, in favor of term limits.

Not to be dissuaded, lawmakers sued to overturn the term limits in 1999, on the grounds that term limits unconsitutionally denied voters the right to suffrage. The Legislature won their lawsuit, and term limits were struck down.

The decision was appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court, which ruled that the term limits law was indeed constitutional, and term limits were upheld.

Just days after the Idaho Supreme Court affirmed the term limits referendum, the Legislature drafted a bill to override the term limits. Naturally it passed, and term limits were repealed.

Enter the Governor. The Governor sided with the will of the people, and vetoed the legislation. Term limits were upheld.

Within 36 hours, the Legislature overrode the Governor's veto. Term limits were repealed.

Down but not out, the citizens of Idaho have put a referendum on the 2002 ballot to restore term limits AGAIN.

Unfortunately for Idaho, the confusing ballot referendum (yes meant no, no meant yes) combined with the legislators nearly unlimited use of tax dollars for the campaign, resulted in term limits being defeated. In my mind, it was one of the greatest examples of just how far American politicians will go to hold onto power.

Fortunately for Virginia, the part-time legislature is in favor of Gubernatorial term limits. They view it as a checks and balances system on the Executive Branch and aren't likely to give in.

Generally speaking, career politicians are a scourge on society, and on some days rounding them all up for a good tar and feathering doesn't sound like a bad idea.