Kaine a good VP choice

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are embarrassments, with well-deserved high unfavorability ratings.

Tim Kaine, Virginia’s junior U.S. senator, is anything but. Clinton is wise to have him on her short list of possible vice-presidential candidates.

Though a solid Democrat, he has widespread bipartisan respect on Capitol Hill. He has government executive experience as governor, number two experience as lieutenant governor and foreign relations experience in the U.S. Senate.

Kaine is funny, down-to-earth and likable, making him a change candidate in this ugly campaign. He has worked as a Jesuit volunteer in Honduras, a pro-bono lawyer for the poor and a racial-wounds healing city councilman and mayor in Richmond. He is scandal-free, except for accepting too many perfectly legal gifts in ethics-challenged Virginia.

Former Virginia governor finds his place in Washington

He is quietly impressive, depending not on political posturing, but on reasoned, calm, informed consensus-seeking, principled debate.

He calls himself “boring.” We’ll take his brand of boring any day.

Best of all, he is qualified. In the words of Sen. Angus King, I-Maine: “He would be an excellent president, if the circumstances demanded it. “

If Clinton selects Kaine as her running mate, she’ll offer Virginia and the country a rare reason to smile and be proud during this silliest, saddest of political seasons.

Our View represents the opinion of the newspaper’s editorial board: Roger Watson, president; David Fritz, executive editor; and Deona Landes Houff, community conversations editor.