In George Allen’s conservative bizzaro world being a writer is a liability, and a disqualification to serving in the Senate. In a recently released statement, George Allen’s camp establishes that his opponent, Jim Webb, is a writer:

For Immediate Release:
October 29, 2006
Contact: Press Office
703.845.3689

ARLINGTON, VA – Throughout this campaign, Jim Webb has made it clear that one of his qualifications for running for Senate is the fact that he is an author and a novelist. Below is Webb in his own words once again:

Webb: “Writing has probably defined me more than any other thing that I’ve done.” (Dale Eisman, “Webb, a Decorated Hero of One War, Challenges the Wisdom of Another,” Virginian-Pilot; October 29, 2006.)

Webb: “I’m proud to be a writer.” (Jim Webb. WTOP Radio, The Politics Program; 27 Oct. 2006)

[...]

Webb Campaign: “Indeed, imagine a Senator who writes his own books.” (Webb Campaign Website, Accessed February 14, 2006 [subsequently removed]; “Imagine This Guy as Senator,” Orwell’s Grave (Blog); February 14, 2006; also Google results)

[...]

Mark Warner: “He’s been a teacher and an author.” (Webb campaign commercial with former Governor Mark Warner)

Washington Post: “And now the key to Webb: ‘In my mind, I am a writer…’ Webb has an apartment in Arlington that he uses only for writing. It is a Spartan little place, no TV, no books, no distractions, on a drab street with a deli where he can get hot soup. He sits at his word processor and writes 1,000 words a day, minimum. ‘Won’t let myself get up until I do it,’ he says. In the swirl of emotion that surrounds Webb the soldier, it is easy to overlook Webb the artist and the narrative power he marshals; his ability to extract raw beauty from even the most horrific scenes. He works hard at it. ‘Some scenes in Fields of Fire I massaged 25 or 30 times,’ he says. ‘There is not a word in that book that is out of place…There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than writing something that is good.’” (Lembley, Brad. “Never Give An Inch: James Webb’s Struggles with Pen and Sword.” Washington Post 8 Dec 1985)

Got it? Jim Webb is a writer.

Why is this important? Because, according to George Allen, "James Webb [has] writ[ten] inappropriate sex scenes and demeaning descriptions of women in his fictional books." And, "My opponent hasn’t been in public office," [George Allen] said. "But [Jim Webb] talks about the books he’s written and his creative writing, his novels. Those are some of his writings… People can make that judgment."

The same October 27, 2006, Washington Post article cited above mentions that "Webb’s books, including "Lost Soldiers," "Something to Die For" and "Fields of Fire," are historical novels that describe wartime horrors in Vietnam and people dealing with the aftermath of combat. Webb is a decorated Marine who served in Vietnam." And, "Webb said the graphic scenes in his novels, many of which are set in wartime, are taken out of context and do not accurately reflect the books or their content: combat. He said he has written about disturbing scenes that he witnessed on the battlefield or as a journalist in Southeast Asia."

Of course, in George Allen’s and his supporters’ conservative bizzaro world, fictional works of literature depicting the depravity of combat, and how it tears the human spirit, is pornography and an automatic disqualification to run for the Senate:

Allen’s attack on Webb’s novels occurred three weeks after the senator gave a two-minute speech pleading for a return to issues after having defended himself against personal-character scandals for months. "The negative personal attacks and baseless allegations have also pulled us away from what you expect and deserve," Allen told voters in the unusual paid television commercial.

By Friday morning, however, the new allegations unleashed by his campaign had become the highlight of morning talk-radio shows and cable news outlets. Conservative groups seized on the news, with one calling for Webb to withdraw for writing "Triple X" novels. Cable news shows debated the issue throughout the day. [Emphasis added.]

Webb’s camp did not hold back in their response:

Steve Jarding, a senior Webb adviser, said Allen’s lack of wartime experience disqualifies him from commenting on Webb’s novels.

"Senator, you have not earned the right to question Jim Webb’s wartime experiences," Jarding said. "Perhaps if you had gone to Vietnam and served as a company commander instead of serving as a [cattle] driver at a dude ranch… you would temper your feigned indignation."

While George Allen’s bizzaro world supporters see these attacks on Jim Webb’s novels as a substantive point of debate, others with FAR MORE authority to judge the merit of Jim Webb’s literary work and what it may contribute to the character development of our military leaders obviously disagree with Allen’s assessment and characterization of Webb’s novels.

I came across the following via TalkingPointsMemo.com.

The United States Marine Corps endorses Jim Webb’s "Fields of Fire," and lists the book in the USMC’s "Professional Reading Program." The Marine Corps University Website writes of the book:

Fields of Fire
The Classic Novel of the Vietnam War
Webb, James
Bantam Books, New York, NY © 1979
360 Pages

James Webb. a well-known Marine Corps Navy Cross recipient in Vietname and former Secretary of the Navy, conveys the experience of combat with rare lucidity through fiction. In fact, Fields of Fire is less fictional than most realize. It is the Vietnam War as the author lived it, and the reader sees and feels it through the eyes of the book’s main character, a platoon commander in Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines.

The novel is about the reality of war that Marines must come to grips with today as we prepare for the future. Fields of Fire is the story of the young, enlisted Marines who fought under then Lieutenant Webb. The reader should note carefully their emotions, motivations, courage, and fears for they are the men who have served us best in every war. Their social backgrounds vary, and many of our best warriors came from the lowliest of stations. In terms of the brotherhood of those who bleed together and the nobility of sacrifices made for friends, the characters in Webb’s novel are timeless. He succeeds brilliantly in making them real. Webb creates a doctrine of combat leadership and a creed for the succeeding generation on how and why Marines fight. [Emphasis added.]

…

[Link]

There you have it folks. The Marine Corps recommends that its junior NCOs and junior officers read Jim Webb in preparation for positions of leadership within the corps; meanwhile, the occupiers of the bizzaro George Allen conservative world disparage Jim Webb’s works, call it pornography and attempt to use it as a weapon against the author. After George Allen’s desperate and ridiculous attacks against Jim Webb, not to mention his propensity for racist-foot-in-mouth disease, how can anyone continue to see George Allen as a serious politician, much less as a man of consequence?