Round 1 in Virginia...

Both parties held their respective state conferences over the weekend, and Tim Kaine fired off a nice salvo that emphasized the success Mark Warner's government has had cleaning up Jim Gilmore's mess.

Jim Gilmore, meanwhile, hit back with some red-meat rhetoric for the Repubs that had me checking my watch to make sure it wasn't 1997.

Um, Jimmy? Your car tax cut was nothing more than a disguised property-tax hike. Since I'm a homeowner who drives America's most stealable car, my taxes went up thanks to your policies. Screw you, taxraiser.