Free Republic

Senate Republicans say they want to “smoke out” Democratic senators who could help them bring down the health care bill, and so far, they think they’ve found one in Sen. Jim Webb. With all the attention focused on four other fence-sitting moderates, Webb has voted with Republicans six times on the first series of amendments on the Senate floor — giving GOP leaders some hope that the unpredictable Virginian could buck his party in the end and block the bill. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, No. 4 in GOP leadership, said Webb’s votes “came as a bit of a surprise”...

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Vietnam's defence minister, making a rare visit to the United States, met Tuesday with a key US Senator who called ties between the two former war foes "very important." General Phung Quang Thanh met with Democratic Senator Jim Webb, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, and was to meet with Senator John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee's top Republican. "It is vitally important that the United States engage with Southeast Asia at all levels," Webb, a former Marine who served in the Vietnam war and visited Hanoi in August, said after his...

Dear Friend, We thought you might be interested in the following column by Senator Webb published in today's Winchester Star. http://www.winchesterstar.com/pages/view/still.html Webb cites concerns, amendments, votes on health care Sen. Jim Webb Like all of my colleagues in the Democratic Party, I voted in favor of proceeding to debate the proposed health-care reform legislation. I have yet to decide whether I will support final passage of the bill. I have stated on several occasions my concerns that the Obama administration should have begun the health-care process with a clear, detailed proposal, from which legislation could then be put into place....

Dear Friend, You know me. I am not a “Born Fundraiser.” In fact, this is the first such letter I have sent out in my entire three years as a United States Senator. But the time has come for me to begin thinking seriously about what it will take if I decide to run for re-election in 2012. And it is important for me to know the extent to which you and others are willing to help. I began my 2006 campaign on February 8th of that very year, only nine months before Election Day. On that day I had...

Webb recently sent Obama a letter warning the president against making any promises to his fellow world leaders when he hits the U.N.'s global warming summit in Copenhagen next week. "As you well know from your time in the Senate, only specific legislation agreed upon in the Congress, or a treaty ratified by the Senate, could actually create such a commitment on behalf of our country," Webb wrote. Webb and fellow hillbilly Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., want to skip Obama's "cap and trade" plan in favor of building 100 new nuclear power plants in the next decade

Will the Democrats ever line up enough votes to get climate change legislation out of the Senate? It’s looking doubtful now because Sen. James Webb (D-VA) is speaking out against pending cap-and-trade legislation, and he says he won’t support it. That’ll make it tough to get the 60 votes needed in the Senate to overcome Republican filibustering. Webb announced this week he’s no fan of the bill from Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) that calls for a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Webb’s possible defection and “no” vote against the pending cap-and-trade bill seems...

Thanks to an intrepid blogger with the tag Trapdoc posting a letter to Mark Steyn, the search for the Wikipedia Libelist responsible for damaging posts to the Rush Limbaugh account has been narrowed to the IP address of a New York City law firm: "The quotes were added by a user with the IP address of 69.64.213.146. This address has been used mostly to make changes to the article about Rush, but also Karl Rove, Sean Hannity,.. James Dobson and Sara Palin from 2005 until earlier this year. "While others have noted this in various forums, no one seems to...

The military junta of Burma is working hard at oppressing the country’s people and is following in North Korea’s footsteps in becoming a rogue state. At this time when the U.S. is most strategically and morally obligated to support the country’s democracy movement, Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has begun engaging the junta, drawing the ire of today’s Martin Luther Kings and George Washingtons in Burma. Senator Webb became the first member of Congress to visit Burma on August 15, and granted the leader of the junta, General Than Shwe, his first visit from a senior American policy-maker. Webb also...

In my last post on Burma, I reported the second meeting in as many months between Senator Jim Webb and Nyan Win, the foreign minister for the Burmese junta. This time the meeting was in Washington, which required that Win be granted a visa waiver (he, like the rest of the junta's senior figures, is on a prohibited list). [snip] Foreign Minister Nyan Win is actually Major General Nyan Win in the Burmese Army. Before heading up the Foreign Ministry where he became the point man for explaining away the butchery his regime visits on the Burmese people, he was...

SNIPPET: "For all his public activity, Bray has rarely, if ever, discussed his life story in detail. His own MAS biography offers vague descriptions of his work as "a long time civil and human rights advocate." A charismatic African-American convert to Islam, Bray spent this entire decade working for Islamist organizations. Prior to joining MAS, Bray was political director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC). Those jobs have helped him build a growing public profile and given him access to politicians and policy makers. And that may explain his reluctance to discuss his life before political activism. The Investigative...

NORFOLK If Congress wants meaningful health care reform, its leaders must stop rushing to pass a bill and hold legislative hearings to air the pros and cons of specific proposals, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb said Thursday. "My thought right now is to slow this down," the Virginia Democrat said. "Open it up. Have some hearings. Let people get their different viewpoints out in a very public way." The problems today with angry people shouting at each other during community forums around the country and the confusion over what might be included in any health care overhaul have their roots in...

LAOS - "LAO SOLDIERS DECAPITATE TWO-MONTH-OLD GIRL AHEAD OF SENATOR WEBB'S VISIT Infant used as target practice during military attacks that leave 26 civilians dead." August 20, 2009

US Senator Jim Webb has said jailed American John Yettaw is to be released by Burma's military leaders and will leave the country with him on Sunday. The announcement came shortly after Mr Webb held talks with Burmese military ruler Than Shwe in Burma. Mr Webb also met pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, days after she was given house arrest for 18 more months. Mr Yettaw's uninvited visit to Ms Suu Kyi's home led to her trial. He was himself given seven years' hard labour. Mr Webb's office said Mr Yettaw would be officially deported on Sunday morning and...

Yangon - US Senator Jim Webb arrived in Myanmar's military capital Naypyitaw Friday for high-level talks with the country's ruling junta that are expected to include a meeting with Senior General Than Shwe, government sources confirmed. Webb, a Democrat from Virginia who is chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee, flew direct to Naypyitaw, 350 kilometres north of Yangon, in a chartered plane from Vientiane, Laos. He is scheduled to meet with junta chief Than Shwe at 11 am (0430 GMT) Saturday , a foreign ministry source said. Webb's trip to Myanmar, part of a five-nation tour of...

Washington, DC—U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) will embark Sunday on a two-week, five-nation tour of Asia to explore opportunities to advance U.S. interests in Burma and the region. Webb was named chairman of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in February. Senator Webb will be the first United States Member of Congress to visit the nation of Burma in more than ten years. He will also hold meetings with government representatives and industry leaders in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOKEif6Tg-Q The union bosses are counting on your Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb to join President Barack Obama in support of their radical agenda. Number one on Big Labors list? The Card Check Forced Unionism Bill. If passed, workers will lose their right to secret ballot elections when union organizers assault their workplaces. Instead, union militants will be able to target workers with lies, intimidation, threats -- and worse -- all to get them to sign so-called union authorization cards and accept union boss control. The result? Millions of workers and small businesses would be FORCED under Big Labor...

In a previous post I discussed the fact that Obama has no interest in restricting himself or his family to any government controlled health care system. OBAMA OPTS OUT OF OBAMACARE While Obama thinks that your medical care may have to be discontinued and you may just have to take painkillers until you're dead; for himself he has other plans. Without question, the most damaging moment for Obama came when he acknowledged that in spite of the rationing implicit in his public health care plan, he would still pay out-of-pocket to obtain the best health care for his family. As...

The man accused of killing former radio talk-show host Mike Webb two years ago pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree murder. King County prosecutors plan to seek a sentence of more than 12 years in prison for Scott White, who had originally been charged with first-degree murder. White, 29, had been living with Webb in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood for six months when he killed Webb with an ax and hid his body in the crawl space, authorities said. Webb's body was found on June 28, 2007. Webb, who had once been the host of a host of a late-night...

With Obama as president, health care and the economy can be "reformed," U.S. troops can be evacuated from the Middle East, a second stimulus bill can be passed, the criminal justice system can be overhauled and union rights can be expanded – in other words, it's a Christmas list come true – declared the leader of the Communist Party USA. "All these – and many other things – are within our reach now!" exclaimed Sam Webb in a New York banquet speech for the People's Weekly World, the official newspaper of the Communist Party USA. Webb's speech was entitled, "The...

To be more precise: He now opposes closing it anytime soon but naturally is A-OK with closing it at some murky, distant time in the future. Which, as far as I can tell, means he holds the same position on it as George W. Bush or Dick Cheney. Moe Lane thinks this is poll-driven but I’m more inclined to believe that someone with a national security background like Webb’s knew all along that it was a bad idea to close it and was simply giving The One political cover until there was a fig leaf available to let him flip-flop....

Virginia’s soon-to-be senior senator, Jim Webb, was the warm up act for Barack Obama on the Democratic nominee’s seventh visit to Virginia since clinching the Democratic nomination. Webb, who at one point was mentioned as a possible running mate for Obama, praised his colleague from Illinois for picking Joe Biden. “People know Joe Biden, and people know that he is capable in a moment of stepping forward and assuming the responsibilities of president of the United States,” he said. And while he called John McCain a friend, he questioned the GOPer’s judgment. “Now John McCain chose Gov Palin,” he continued...

The Obama campaign goes up in Virginia with its first ad featuring Senator Jim Webb, who offers a strong and personal defense of Barack Obama on guns and assures Virginians that Obama will protect our country's "greatness." We obtained the radio spot, and it's a strong one, starting off with an "important message to Virginia sportsmen and working families": Click To Play In the ad, Webb, a Vietnam vet and gun enthusiast, recounts his own gun history -- his dad gave him his first rifle when he was eight -- and goes on to explain that gun-love runs in his...

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...