DURING the 2000 and 2004 elections, West Virginia sadly became a Bush-Cheney "red state," helping deliver the White House to perhaps the worst administration in U.S. history - incompetents who needlessly started the Iraq war, nearly doubled the national debt, and bungled crucial projects such as Hurricane Katrina repairs.

This district's current Republican member of the House of Representatives unfortunately has been a loyal ally of the Bush-Cheney agenda.

However, 2008 brings hope for a new direction - and we think the brightest prospect to change West Virginia's path is a fresh political face: Anne Barth, Democrat for Congress. We endorse her for nomination in the early balloting that begins April 23, culminating in the May 13 primary election.

Although she's brand-new as a first-time candidate, she has a long track record in West Virginia politics. She was a top aide and state director for Sen. Robert C. Byrd for 21 years. She knows how to cope with officialdom, and how to get things done in Washington.

Byrd says, "Anne has worked closely with me and has learned how to traverse the corridors of Washington to get results for the people of West Virginia."

The longtime senior senator endorses her - and so does Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Rep. Nick Rahall, Rep. Allen Mollohan, the state AFL-CIO, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and various others.

Daughter of a United Methodist minister, Barth grew up in parsonages around West Virginia. She earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University. She once served as executive director of the state Democratic Party. She is married to Charleston lawyer Nick Barth, and their two daughters attend WVU.

As a campaigner, Barth says America was "misled" into the Iraq war, which has become a quagmire for which there are "no military solutions." She wants a workable way to bring U.S. troops home.

She also supports universal medical insurance for all Americans, and opposes tax giveaways to giant oil companies and corporations that ship U.S. jobs overseas. And she's frugal about government spending.

Here's an example of the latter: The secretary of state's office mistakenly put Barth's name on upcoming ballots as "Ann." By law, the candidate could have demanded that all ballots be reprinted, at a taxpayer cost above $100,000. But she decided to save the public money, and ignore the misspelling. Good for her.

West Virginia needs a clean break from its dismal Bush-Cheney backing over the past eight years. We think Anne Barth offers one way to choose a new course.

This district's current Republican member of the House of Representatives unfortunately has been a loyal ally of the Bush-Cheney agenda.

However, 2008 brings hope for a new direction - and we think the brightest prospect to change West Virginia's path is a fresh political face: Anne Barth, Democrat for Congress. We endorse her for nomination in the early balloting that begins April 23, culminating in the May 13 primary election.

Although she's brand-new as a first-time candidate, she has a long track record in West Virginia politics. She was a top aide and state director for Sen. Robert C. Byrd for 21 years. She knows how to cope with officialdom, and how to get things done in Washington.

Byrd says, "Anne has worked closely with me and has learned how to traverse the corridors of Washington to get results for the people of West Virginia."

The longtime senior senator endorses her - and so does Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Rep. Nick Rahall, Rep. Allen Mollohan, the state AFL-CIO, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and various others.

Daughter of a United Methodist minister, Barth grew up in parsonages around West Virginia. She earned both bachelor's and master's degrees from West Virginia University. She once served as executive director of the state Democratic Party. She is married to Charleston lawyer Nick Barth, and their two daughters attend WVU.

As a campaigner, Barth says America was "misled" into the Iraq war, which has become a quagmire for which there are "no military solutions." She wants a workable way to bring U.S. troops home.

She also supports universal medical insurance for all Americans, and opposes tax giveaways to giant oil companies and corporations that ship U.S. jobs overseas. And she's frugal about government spending.

Here's an example of the latter: The secretary of state's office mistakenly put Barth's name on upcoming ballots as "Ann." By law, the candidate could have demanded that all ballots be reprinted, at a taxpayer cost above $100,000. But she decided to save the public money, and ignore the misspelling. Good for her.

West Virginia needs a clean break from its dismal Bush-Cheney backing over the past eight years. We think Anne Barth offers one way to choose a new course.