Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach, has introduced a bill commending his colleague Sen. John H. Chichester, R-Northampton, as a “visionary leader of tremendous integrity … admired for his gift of diplomacy; his adroitness, even in times of adversity, at unifying the numerous voices and forces of the legislative body.”

Describing Chichester as having “great respect … for the diverse political convictions of his fellow General Assembly members,” Stolle goes on: “Committed to excellence in state government, John Chichester exemplifies, in his words and in his deeds, the ideals of honesty, responsibility, and a steadfast belief in the value of democracy and the political system.”

The resolution commends Chichester on his 2005 Excellence in State leadership Award by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the State Leadership Foundation.

Read the resolution and pick out your favorite phrases! Here’s mine: “Unifying the numerous voices and forces of the legislative body.”

Update: Turns out there’s more to the story. Jeff Schapiro wrote a piece in today’s Times-Dispatch noting that House Republicans “are now refusing to vote on a tribute to the guy who whupped ’em in the 2004 tax fight.” I don’t know who submitted the resolution in the House, but I’ll bet he (or she) is snickering at the sniping intramural feuding they’re feeding in the Republican Party.

One can hardly blame the House GOP for not wanting to affirm the sycophantic praise in the resolution, including an allusion to Chichester’s role in cramming the 2004 tax increase down their throats. On the other hand, publicly dissing Chichester will only feed the “petty, intransigent House GOP” storyline that seems to be developing. There ought to be a creative solution to the dilemma.