Free Republic

Sen. Barack Obama has added a Lynchburg appearance with Sen. Jim Webb to his pass through Virginia this Wednesday. Webb and Obama will hold a town hall meeting with voters, which will focus on improving the economy and Obama's plans for a tax cut for middle-class families and $4,000 in college tuition tax credits, according to the campaign. The event is free and open to the public. Earlier Wednesday, Obama and former Gov. Mark R. Warner will visit Martinsville. There, they will meet with workers and families who have been affected by what the Obama campaign calls the "failed trade...

Authorities investigated the mysteries surrounding the death of U.S. Senate aide Fred Hutchins on Wednesday, a day after his body was found beside his sport utility vehicle on U.S. 220 near Fincastle. "We're just working to let the evidence go wherever it goes," said Botetourt County Sheriff's Maj. Delbert Dudding. One of his deputies obtained a search warrant to look through the downtown Roanoke apartment of Hutchins, who was 26 and ran U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's office in Roanoke County. According to the search warrant, potential evidence was sought that might exist in Hutchins' computer, his cellphone, his answering machine...

An aide to U.S. Sen. Jim Webb was found dead alongside a Botetourt County road yesterday, according to a Richmond newspaper. Frederick Wayne Hutchins Jr., 26, apparently had been shot once in the head and a gun was found under his body, the Richmond Times Dispatch was reporting. The body was discovered outside his vehicle on an embankment on U.S. 220 near Fincastle.

** Originally published January 12, 2007 ** The Botetourt County kid who handed out political business cards as a grade schooler is now the local face for U.S. Sen. James Webb in the Roanoke and New River valleys. Fred Hutchins, who has spent the past several years as state Del. Onzlee Ware's legislative aide, has been hired by Virginia's new Democratic senator to run his Roanoke-based U.S. Senate office. For the time being, it will be in the same place as former U.S. Sen. George Allen's, in an office complex off Virginia 419 near the Roanoke County Administration Building. "I'm...

Authorities in Botetourt County this morning discovered the body of a well-known Democratic operative and U.S. Senate aide along U.S. 220, dead from an apparent gunshot wound. The body of Frederick W. Hutchins Jr., 26, of Roanoke was found shortly after 7 a.m. along southbound U.S. 220 by a Botetourt County deputy who had stopped to check on a vehicle parked on the highway's shoulder, according to the sheriff's office. Hutchins was an aide to U.S. Senator Jim Webb, D-Va. Hutchins had been shot in the head, and a gun was found beneath his body, Sheriff Ronnie Sprinkle said. The...

The American people are speaking...they deserve to be heard. Can you get your Democrat leaders to listen? Over 1.1 Million Americans have called on Congress to “Drill Here, Drill Now’ when Newt Gingrich sent the petitions out just 35 days ago. “I believe Congress can make it happen. Congressional failure and inaction on meaningful energy policy must stop,” Webb continued. “We must release use of our reserves for immediate relief at the pumps, and we must REMOVE the Congressionally imposed barriers to exploring and producing our own oil. When other nations have nationalized and then subsidize their oil industries, the...

Sen. Jim Webb (Va.), considered one of the favorites to be picked as Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) running mate on the Democratic ticket, announced Monday that he would not be a candidate for the job. “Last week I communicated to Sen. Obama and his presidential campaign my firm intention to remain in the United States Senate, where I believe I am best equipped to serve the people of Virginia and this country,” Webb said. “Under no circumstances will I be a candidate for vice president.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With his two Purple Hearts, three tattoos and spoiling-for-a-fight attitude, Sen. Jim Webb is emerging as the Democrats' point man on two of the most profound matters facing the electorate this November: national defense and the military. A highly decorated war veteran who opposes the Iraq war, Sen. Webb is considered by many Democrats to be the best person to go into battle against another war hero, expected Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. The ex-Marine, who hails from the important swing state of Virginia, could also become Sen. Barack Obama's go-to person on national security, where the...

Lately I've emailing anyone on Capitol Hill who will listen about the new GI Bill that should be going to the President for signature as part of the defense funding package. While this bill goes a long way towards addressing a shortfall in educational benefits for military members, it doesn't do enough for older veterans like myself who have not served since 9/11. I can't post the comparison chart for everyone to see because I don't know how so I included the URL above for everyone to click on, but I wanted to know your take on the matter. The...

Richard Just at the New Republic magazine is not impressed with Virginia senator Jim Webb as a running mate for Barack Obama. Webb is fundamentally illiberal, he writes, a misogynist and an ethnic nationalist and "something of an apologist for the Confederacy." So why do lots of liberals like Webb, Just asks. "In the years since he left the Republican party, Webb has found his way to certain policy stands that liberals correctly find attractive. He was right about Iraq, and, on economics, he is right to criticise the disparity between rich and poor." Just can't figure out how a...

This time it's a duly certified, establishment-vetted, card-carrying member of the Mainstream Media who's been caught, tried and convicted by the always watchful PC Police. This time it was no Howard Stern or Don Imus, or even a football coach lettin' 'er rip at a press conference. This time it was NBC's own, always respectable if not downright pedestrian Andrea Mitchell, aka Mrs. Alan Greenspan. Goodness. What did she do? It seems the lady went and referred to an area of southwestern Virginia as "redneck, sort of bordering-on-Appalachia country." Ooh-wee!The linguistically delicate of southwestern Virginia are still squealing. These easily...

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - If not for "Meet The Press" and its host, Tim Russert, Jim Webb figures he may not be a United States senator. And a debate moderated by the NBC newsman who died Friday was a turning point in Democrat Timothy M. Kaine's campaign for governor. Both candidates fondly recalled Russert on Saturday at the Virginia Democratic Convention and acknowledged his role in pivotal moments in their 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Webb said his September 2006 appearance alongside Republican Sen. George Allen on "Meet The Press" was the turning point in his narrow, come-from-behind victory over Allen...

How can you tell when someone really, really wants to be vice president? He becomes very outgoing, and very sensitive, at the same time. That’s what has happened with Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) lately. I have not, in the past, been on the senator’s press mailing list. Nothing unusual there; I don’t cover him and don’t usually write about him. But lately, his press office has wanted to make sure I know everything he’s doing. Which TV shows will he visit? Which hearings will he attend? I’m getting frequent updates. There are also signs Webb is paying a lot of...

Barack Obama and his advisers have begun the process of vetting vice presidential running mates, and Hillary Clinton and several former military leaders have landed on the soon-to-be Democratic nominee’s list of 20 potential candidates. Clinton, Obama’s rival during the primary contests, reportedly made the cut by building an energetic coalition of support among women, working-class voters and Hispanics in her unsuccessful bid for the party’s nomination, and, according to Obama, “would be on anybody's short list.” Clinton finished strong by winning six of the last nine and nine of the last 15 primaries, including decisive 10-point victories over Sen....

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Barack Obama is considering former top military leaders among his possible running mates, according to a senator who met Tuesday with the Democratic presidential candidate's vice presidential vetting team. North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad told The Associated Press said the team asked him about potential candidates from three broad categories _ current top elected officials, former top elected officials and former top military leaders. Conrad would not disclose which names they discussed, and the Obama campaign has been keeping the process a closely guarded secret. "We talked about many names," Conrad said, including "some that are out...

Views on Confederacy may cost Webb VP nod By DAVID MARK | 6/10/08 6:35 PM EST Text Size: Jim Webb Webb, a descendent of Confederate officers, also voiced sympathy for the notion of state sovereignty as it was understood in the early 1860s. Photo: John Shinkle Barack Obama’s vice presidential vetting team will undoubtedly run across some quirky and potentially troublesome issues as they go about the business of scouring the backgrounds of possible running mates. But it’s unlikely they’ll find one so curious as Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s affinity for the cause of the Confederacy. Webb is no...

Barack Obama’s vice presidential vetting team will undoubtedly run across some quirky and potentially troublesome issues as it goes about the business of scouring the backgrounds of possible running mates. But it’s unlikely they’ll find one so curious as Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb’s affinity for the cause of the Confederacy.

Supposed I am in the “Vice Presidential Search Committee” of Democratic Candidate Barack Obama. I’d immediately start researching and evaluating Virginia Senator James Webb. Senator Webb has a lot of attributes Senator Obama lacks and needs. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan; Defense Department experience in a Republican Administration. A huge upcheck that Obama could use. Jim Webb was a “ground pounder” Marine Officer in Vietnam. This doesn’t completely neutralize John McCain’s “War Hero” status and doesn’t match McCain as a once-tortured Prisoner of War. But some will say, McCain...

Barack Obama resists Hillary Clinton as running mate By Toby Harnden in Washington Last Updated: 8:08PM BST 05/06/2008 Resisting a defiant push by Hillary Clinton to force him to name her as his running mate, Barack Obama has appeared publicly with three other prominent vice-presidential contenders. Mr Obama held events in Virginia alongside Senator Jim Webb, a Vietnam hero and former Republican, the loyal Governor Tim Kaine, one of the earliest top politicians to declare for the Illinois senator, and Mark Warner, a former Virginia governor with potent electoral appeal in conservative rural areas. In an interview with NBC News,...

Now that Barack Obama has clinched a win at least with respect to pledged delegates, there remains little doubt that he will be the nominee. Which leaves one question among many: With whom will he share the ticket? Obama's ideal vice president, at least according to the conventional wisdom, is a white male, from a crucial and/or swing state, who has both executive experience and strong foreign policy credentials, as well as a longer and more accomplished record than Obama. This person should be a solid, experienced campaigner, who is also able to help Obama appeal to demographics with which...

Jim Webb's GI Bill passed the Senate today with a bipartisan majority, 75-22. Clinton and Obama were both there, but McCain is in California today on the fundraising trail. Obama used the opportunity to once again tie his rival to the president. "I respect Sen. John McCain's service to our country," Obama said on the Senate floor this morning. "He is one of those heroes of which I speak. But I can't understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI Bill. I can't believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans....

Jim Webb seems like the perfect person to sponsor a nearly irresistable bill to "support the troops". After all, he is a former Secretary of the Navy, and has a son in the military. Just a few things are wrong with his proposal, it is excessive, unneeded, and helps few, if any, service members. What it really is, is a bald face attempt to show how much the Democrats "care" about our troops. Do they? I wonder if Mr. Webb ignored the facts or just chose to create an unneeded layer of assistance that makes him and his fellow conspirators...

As political rituals go, the phony denial of interest in the VP nomination is among the most annoying. So credit Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee for unequivocally stating their willingness to serve as McCain's running mate. But please, politicians out there, spare us the feeble non-denial denials such as the one Jim Webb offered up on today's Morning Joe. Isn't Webb supposed to be Mr. No-Nonsense Macho Man? After all, he was on the show to tout his new book, A Time to Fight, and to talk up his rough 'n tumble Scots-Irish roots. But judging by his wimpy response...

The Talk Shows Sunday, May 18th, 2008 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Sens. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Chris Dodd, D-Conn.; Rick Dutrow Jr., trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.; former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.; Republican strategist Mike Murphy; Democratic strategist Bob Shrum. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Gov. Charlie Crist, R-Fla.; Republican strategist Ed Rollins; former Govs. Mario Cuomo, D-N.Y., and Roy Romer, D-Colo.THIS WEEK (ABC): Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., and Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio. LATE EDITION (CNN) : Commerce Secretary Carlos...

Virginia Senator James Webb should be the Democratic candidate for vice-president. Senator Barack Obama is close to winning the Democratic nomination for president. His overwhelming victory in North Carolina and virtual tie in Indiana, with a forthcoming tide of superdelegates, will bring him within a hundred votes of the nomination. Obama has victory in sight, unless the iron laws of arithmetic are repealed by superdelegates meeting in "smoke-filled rooms" in an age of "no smoking" edicts in air-conditioned retreats. Obama must soon turn to the choice of a running mate. The best choice, in my opinion, would be Senator Webb....

Virginia Senator Jim Webb says there's growing support for his G.I. Bill. The bill would pay the college tuition for many military veterans who have served since the 9/11 terror attacks. The Bush administration and defense department have concerns. They say the costly bill could also cost the military when it comes to re-enlistment rates. On the grounds of the College of William & Mary, Army Veteran Corporal Harry Bethke talks about his future. "I sent out all these applications, all at once and I got approved for 7 out of 9." He says the campus is a stark contrast...

Reid: Bush has 'exit strategy' only for himself Congressional Democrats pushed back hard Thursday against President Bush’s speech on Iraq, accusing him of delaying further troop withdrawals so that he can hand off the conflict to the next president. Democrats welcomed Bush’s call to reduce troop deployments from 15 months to 12 months, but they said he should go further and embrace a proposal by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) under which soldiers would spend at least a year at home before they could be called back to active duty in Iraq. Webb’s deployment proposal came up three votes short last...

NORFOLK The Navy could spend nearly $500 million to ready Mayport Naval Station in Florida for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier - perhaps from Norfolk - by 2014. Or it could choose to make no changes in the base's operations. A draft report released Friday by the Navy proposed a range of options for the future of Mayport, the Jacksonville base that lost its only carrier, the John F. Kennedy, when the ship was decommissioned last year. The Navy's decision, expected early next year, could determine whether ships and perhaps thousands of sailors from Hampton Roads relocate to northern Florida. Mark...

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is calling on presumptive GOP presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to sign on as a co-sponsor to his GI bill, which would improve educational benefits to veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “McCain needs to get on the bill,” Webb told reporters after a Christian Science Monitor breakfast meeting on Wednesday. He said legislation mirroring the post-World War II GI bill should not be considered a “political issue.” Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Il.), the Democratic presidential candidates, both have signed on to the bill. In a major coup for...

What do Hillary Clinton, Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Barack Obama have in common, besides wanting to be the next commander in chief? They are all of Scots-Irish descent, an ethnic and cultural lineage that has produced more presidents and military leaders than any other. “Fascinating, but not surprising,� says U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. The former naval secretary and decorated Marine should know: He catalogued the migration and cultural influence of the Scots-Irish in America in his book “Born Fighting.� They have “always had the tradition of being in leadership positions, whether it is the military or in politics,�...

Two years ago, the Senate campaign of Virginia Democrat Jim Webb delighted in repeating ad nauseum the middle name of his opponent, Sen. George Allen.The news media had a good laugh as Webb tried to undermine Allen's good ol' boy image by reminding voters of his non-hillbilly middle name, Felix.An example of the Webb campaign's tactics can be found in an excerpt of a press release reported June 27, 2006, by the Hotline:“George Felix Allen Jr. and his bush-league lapdog, Dick Wadhams, have not earned the right to challenge Jim Webb’s position on free speech and flag burning. Jim Webb...

Dec. 26, 2007, 4:25PM Senate meets for 9 seconds to block Bush appointment By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press TOOLS Email Get section feed Print Subscribe NOW Comments (40) Recommend WASHINGTON — The House was quiet as a mouse the day after Christmas. But across the Capitol, the Senate was operating in an unusually efficient manner in its ongoing power struggle with President Bush. A nine-second session gaveled in and out by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., prevented Bush from appointing as an assistant attorney general a nominee roundly rejected by majority Democrats. Without the pro forma session, the Senate would be...

The US Senate is holding special one man sessions throughout Christmas and the New Year to prevent President George W. Bush from making appointments without the approval of the Democratic majority. With the bang of a gavel, Democratic Senator Jim Webb declared the first session open on Sunday morning before closing it seconds later, without any of his colleagues present in the hall. The brief ceremony will be repeated every two to three days until January 18, when lawmakers resume their work after the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The Democratic majority is staging the move to avoid any formal...

Pressure on the Department of the Interior (DOI) to change the rules in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges to allow law-abiding gun owners to carry guns for self-defense has just increased dramatically! **Forty-seven** Senators have co-signed a letter from Senator Mike Crapo to Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Department of the Interior (DOI) asking DOI to allow state law to determine if guns can be carried in National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges in that state! The letter (and a link to the PDF version of the letter) is below. Virginia Senator Jim Webb signed the letter. Senator John...

Senator Jim Webb Hype

The Talk Shows Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Karl Rove, former adviser to President Bush; Rep. Chris Van Hollen, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee; Fred Smith, chairman and chief executive of FedEx Corp. MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va. FACE THE NATION (CBS): Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; David Axelrod, strategist for Barack Obama's presidential campaign; Howard Wolfson, communications director for Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign. THIS WEEK (ABC): Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark.; musician Steven Van Zandt, founder of the Rock and...

Just 10 months into his first term in elected office, James Webb found himself on the podium for one of the most coveted speaking slots in Democratic politics. The freshman senator from Virginia delivered the keynote address to the New Hampshire Democratic Party at its annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner a week ago, a role that in recent years has been played by current and former White House candidates John Edwards and John Kerry. Two years ago the speech was delivered by Sen. Evan Bayh, who is viewed as a potential vice presidential pick next year.... Direct and withering when talking about...

Dear Friend, In 14 days, we have a chance to give Governor Tim Kaine more allies and move Virginia forward with sensible, results-oriented government. On November 6th, we have the opportunity to build on the momentum that Democrats in Virginia and across the country achieved in last year's elections and elect more Democrats to the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates. I have been throughout Virginia campaigning this summer and fall to make this happen, and I am asking you to join me in this fight, as you did for my campaign last year. Please take a moment to sign...

font size=4>Politics: It's no mystery how congressional Democrats lost all momentum on Iraq: They decided to take shots at the integrity of the U.S. military. Now they stand defenseless before an outraged America. "The power of the White House was too much," a dejected Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as lamenting last week as he slumped in a chair in his Capitol office. Reid and his Senate Democrats were suffering one loss after another on Iraq. On Wednesday, the Senate killed a bill by Sens. Jim Webb, D-Va., and Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., to...

An amendment to mandate minimum rest times for U.S. troops between deployments faced long odds Wednesday after an influential Republican senator switched his position and said he would vote against it. John W. Warner, R-Va., a senior Armed Services Committee member who voted for the amendment by Jim Webb, D-Va., when it last came to the floor in July, said he had changed his mind. He said the ranks of military specialists are so thin in many positions that commanders on the ground would be seriously hobbled by mandatory “dwell times” between deployments.Bush administration officials have been furiously lobbying moderate...

Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:26:19 GMT From: "Jim Webb" Subject: Stop Burning Out The Troops Dear Friend, This Dwell Time Amendment provides a safety net under our troops. However long a servicemember has been deployed, they deserve at least that much time at home. It is a very simple, common sense amendment. For the sake of our servicemembers and their families, this is the right thing to do. Click here to email your Senators! Today, Senator Chuck Hagel and I will reintroduce an amendment that seeks to provide our men and women in uniform with the responsible rotational cycles...

Jim Webb, the loquacious freshman senator from Virginia, is again proposing an amendment that would mandate a certain amount of time that soldiers must spend at home between deployments. At first glance, supporting this amendment looks like supporting motherhood and apple pie — Webb’s stated aim is to take care of America’s soldiers at war, and who could possibly object to that? The amendment, furthermore, gives the president the right to waive the requirement “if the President certifies to Congress that the deployment…is necessary to meet an operational emergency posing a threat to vital national security interests of the United...

Dear [Past Your Eyes], Last winter, Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffered a brain hemorrhage. Today, Senator Tim Johnson returns to the Floor of the United States Senate. In just 9 months, with the help and support of his family, doctors, and prayers from people across the country, Senator Johnson has progressed remarkably. Senator Johnson's recovery has been nothing short of amazing and we are all thankful that he is now able to return to the Senate Chambers and continue his work for the people of South Dakota and all Americans. To celebrate Senator Johnson's return -- and to help him...

Dear Friend, Help us make a big statement for Senator Johnson today -- help him have the resources he needs to win in November 2008. Click here to Contribute >> Last winter, Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD) suffered a brain hemorrhage. Today, Senator Tim Johnson returns to the Floor of the United States Senate. In just 9 months, with the help and support of his family, doctors, and prayers from people across the country, Senator Johnson has progressed remarkably. Senator Johnson's recovery has been nothing short of amazing and we are all thankful that he is now able to return to...

This Congress was elected in November 1974, only months after Nixon's resignation, and it was dominated by a fresh group of antiwar Democrats. One of the first actions of the new Congress was to vote down a supplemental appropriation for the beleaguered South Vietnamese that would have provided $800 million in military aid, including much-needed ammunition, spare parts and medical supplies. This vote was a horrendous blow, in both emotional and practical terms, to the country that had trusted American judgment for more than a decade of intense conflict. It was also a clear indication that Washington was abandoning the...

RELEASED TO THE MEDIA, SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2007 Live By “Macaca,” Die By “NAMBLA”Top Virginia Democratic Strategist Linked To Pedophile Web Site Richmond, Virginia. (August 25, 2007) – The Old Dominion Blog Alliance (“ODBA”), an organization of approximately 25 conservative Virginia bloggers founded on December 9, 2005, discovered on August 21 that someone registered the domain name of “olddominionblogalliance.com” on August 16 via GoDaddy.com’s Domains by Proxy service in order to conceal their identity. The domain was then set to forward to the web site for the North American Man-Boy Love Association ("NAMBLA"), an organization that promotes illegal activity between adults and...

Democrats yesterday touted legislation to guarantee troops time at home between deployments to Iraq. snip The measure would require that regular military units returning from the war receive at least as much time at home as they spent in Iraq. Reserve units would get a home stay three times as long as they spent in the war zone

WASHINGTON - Democrats on Saturday touted legislation to guarantee troops time at home between deployments to Iraq. In the party's weekly radio address, Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., criticized President Bush for threatening to veto the bill, contending his administration's policies on troop deployments have weakened the military. "The president's surge has sent many of our Army units to Iraq for the second and third time. We are asking our troops to make heroic sacrifices — yet as soon as they return we rush them back into battle," said Tauscher, author of the bill that passed the House Aug. 2 on...

11:49 AM PDT, August 2, 2007 WASHINGTON -- The House today passed a measure to mandate more rest at home for troops serving in Iraq, with Democrats taking another swipe at President Bush's management of the war on the eve of Congress' summer recess. The legislation — which passed 229 to 194, with six Republicans joining the majority — stands little chance of becoming law. A similar proposal sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) was blocked by Senate Republicans last month, and the White House today issued a veto threat. But as lawmakers prepare to go home to face their...

Do you remember the George Allen "macaca" video? That piece of coverage played an instrumental role in the election of Senator Jim Webb-- and winning back the United States Senate last year. But that turning point in Senator Webb's campaign would not have been possible without his dedicated staff members following George Allen's every move. That's the kind of work we're doing here at the Democratic Party of Virginia. As the Research Director, I'm working to build a Party apparatus that can immediately respond to the missteps and lies told by the Republicans who are trying to maintain control of...