Jim Webb’s State of the Union Democratic Reponse

While Bush’s 2007 State of the Union speech was dismissed as "ordinary," both the press and the progressive blogsphere is abuzz about the Democratic party’s response to Bush’s speech. Senator Jim Webb delivered the 2007 Democratic response and, like many, I echo the chorus of cheers for Sen. Webb’s State of the Union Democratic response:

Bush’s Insult of Jim Webb

More on Bush’s insult of Senator-elect Jim Webb:

[A]ccording to Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), Bush was told that Webb’s son had a recent brush with death in Iraq and was warned to be “extra sensitive” when talking to the Sen.-elect. ThinkProgress yesterday spoke with Moran’s office and confirmed the congressman’s statement, first reported by hcc in VA:

Not only did Bush know about it, he was specifically briefed on the incident before meeting with Webb, and was cautioned to be extra sensitive in speaking with Webb about his son.

After such a briefing, Bush perhaps shouldn’t have been so surprised about Webb’s unwillingness to chit-chat about his son.

More on “Skin in the Game”

Eleanor Clift has more on “What Having Skin in the Game Looks Like”:

Fresh off a nasty campaign that centered on the war in Iraq, Virginia Senator-elect Jim Webb had no interest in a picture of himself with President Bush, and he didn’t want to exchange small talk with the man whose war policies he opposes. So he skipped the receiving line at a White House reception for newly elected members of Congress, creating the first of what we should all hope will be many ripples in Washington.

Webb’s  presumed snub of Bush is rare enough in a city where everybody who’s anybody has a glory wall, and social occasions are geared to a parade of picture taking. But what happened next is where the story really takes off. President Bush, spying Webb across the room, walked over to him and asked, “How’s your boy?” Webb’s son is a Marine in Iraq.

[...]

“I’d like to get them out of Iraq,” he replied, according to several published accounts. “That’s not what I asked you,” Bush said, repeating his question: “How’s your boy?” Webb’s reply: “That’s between me and my boy.”

[...]

A quirky individualist who wants no part of the phony collegiality of Washington, Webb was rightly insulted when Bush pressed him in that bullying way—“That’s not what I asked you”—trying to force the conversation back to Webb’s son. Webb could have asked how the Bush girls are doing, partying their way across Argentina. He could have told Bush he was worried about his son; the vehicle next to him was blown up recently, killing three Marines. Given the contrast between their respective offspring, Webb showed restraint.

But that’s not how much of official Washington reacted. Columnist George F. Will was the most offended, declaring civility dead and Webb a boor and a “pompous poseur.” Were the etiquette police as exercised when Vice President Dick Cheney told Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy to perform an anatomically impossible act on the Senate floor? Or is that amusing by Washington’s odd standards?

Webb told The Washington Post that his intention was not to offend Bush or the institution of the presidency but that “leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is.” By standing up to Bush, Webb became a hero to a lot of people who voted against this president and this war, and whose views have been sidelined for six years. Symbols matter. Bush certainly understands their importance, or he wouldn’t have jetted onto that carrier in a flight suit and stood in front of a banner that proclaimed MISSION ACCOMPLISHED more than a thousand days and thousands more deaths ago. A president snubbed by a junior senator-elect and then, more tellingly by the puppet prime minister in Iraq, should be wondering where he went wrong, not the other way around.

It’s justice long overdue for a president who has so abused the symbols of war to get his comeuppance from a battlefield hero who personifies real toughness as opposed to fake toughness.

What “Skin in the Game” Looks Like

Having “skin in the game” does make a difference. If more of the political elite had skin in the game we would, undoubtedly, see a lot more of this:

Webb, a decorated former Marine officer, hammered Allen and Bush over the unpopular war in Iraq while wearing his son’s old combat boots on the campaign trail. It seems the president may have some lingering resentment. 

At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.

Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.

“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.

Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.

UPDATE: The Washington Post covers the same incident:

If the exchange with Bush two weeks ago is any indication, Webb won’t be a wallflower, especially when it comes to the war in Iraq. And he won’t stick to a script drafted by top Democrats.

“I’m not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall,” Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. “No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I’m certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. [But] leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is.”

In the days after the election, Webb’s Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill went out of their way to make nice with Bush and be seen by his side. House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sat down for a lunch and photo opportunity with Bush, as did Democratic leaders in the Senate.

Not Webb, who said he tried to avoid a confrontation with Bush at the White House reception but did not shy away from one when the president approached.

Semper Fidelis.

Allen Attacks Webb’s Books | Marines Recommend Webb’s Books

Republican Senator George Allen, whom until recently was considered a serious GOP presidential hopeful for the upcoming 2008 cycle, that is, until his foot-in-mouth racist stumbles got in the way (ie, referring to a young Indian-American as "Macaca," and reports of his fondness for the confederate flag and for nooses), has launched a ridiculous attack against his Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, for Virginia’s Senate seat.

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?