Posted on 06/28/2006 4:40:55 PM PDT by Shermy
Arlington—The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb today called the attacks on Webb’s patriotism by Allen’s campaign, “weak-kneed attacks by cowards” and demanded that Allen and his campaign apologize.
“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 served and fought for our flag and what it stands for, while George Felix Allen Jr. chose to cut and run. When he and his disrespectful campaign puppets attack Jim Webb they are attacking every man and woman who served. Their comments are nothing more than weak-kneed attacks by cowards. George Felix Allen Jr. needs to apologize to Jim Webb and to all men and women who have served our nation,” Webb spokesman Steve Jarding said.
On Tuesday, George Felix Allen Jr. and his campaign issued a press release in which the Allen campaign, through Wadhams, implied that Webb’s position in support of the Free Speech Amendment to the U.S. Constitution amounted to a political act and not a defense of our Constitution, which Webb fought for and for which he was highly decorated. George Felix Allen Jr. did not serve.
“I believe it is precisely because of bush-league attacks like this that John Zogby, a highly respected, independent polling expert just this week said that Dick Wadhams is not fit to serve as a campaign manager and that George Allen should find a new manager,” Jarding said.
“While Jim Webb and others of George Felix Allen Jr.’s generation were fighting for our freedoms and for our symbols of freedom in Vietnam, George Felix Allen Jr. was playing cowboy at a dude ranch in Nevada. People who live in glass dude ranches should not question the patriotism of real soldiers who fought and bled for this country on a real battlefield,” Jarding said.
“Is Dick Wadhams willing to publicly say that Colin Powell, John Glenn and Bob Kerrey are unpatriotic for having the same position on the flag burning amendment that Jim Webb has? Ask him,” Jarding said.
Jarding continued, “The following is why George Felix Allen Jr. has not earned the right to challenge Jim Webb in his support of our Constitution and its free speech provisions: Jim Webb was first in this class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officer’s Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Jim Webb served with the Fifth Marine Regiment in Vietnam, where as a rifle platoon and company commander in the infamous An Hoa Basin west of Danang. Jim Webb was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts while fighting in Vietnam. Jim Webb served as a platoon commander and as an instructor in tactics and weapons at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. Jim Webb served in the US Congress as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1977 to 1981, becoming the first Vietnam veteran to serve as a full committee counsel in the Congress. In 1982, Jim Webb first proposed, then led the fight for including an African American soldier in the memorial statue that now graces the Vietnam Veterans memorial on the National Mall. In 1984, Jim Webb was appointed the inaugural Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, where he traveled extensively in, and worked closely with, our NATO allies. As Assistant Secretary, Webb directed considerable research and analysis of the U.S. military’s mobilization capabilities. In 1987, Jim Webb was appointed Secretary of the Navy becoming the first Naval Academy graduate in history to serve in the military and be appointed Secretary of the Navy. In addition to his wartime medals, Jim Webb has been awarded the following medals and citations:
The Department of Defense distinguished Public Service Medal
The Medal of Honor Society’s Patriot Award
The American Legion National Commander’s Public Service Award
The VFW’s Media Service Award The Marine Corps League’s Military Order of the Iron Mike Award
The John Russell Leadership Award
The Robert L. Denig Distinguished Service Award.
Saved for eternity ping.
Seems a bit unhinged to me.
Perhaps the Allen campaign should pay for him to have an open mike. Might hang himself.
George Allen would defeat Jim Webb if the election of U.S. Senate in Virginia were held today. That's the finding of a statewide News-7 poll conducted this week. This is the first SurveyUSA poll since Jim Webb won the Democratic nomination to face Republican incumbent George Allen.
SurveyUSA interviewed 1,200 Virginia adults Sunday through Wednesday of this week. Of them, 984 were registered to vote. Of them, 533 were judged to be "likely" voters. The breakdowns in "Survey Details" reflect likely voters.
Fifty-six percent of the likely voters said they'd vote for Allen. Thirty-seven percent said they'd vote for Webb.
***
Question asked of 533 likely voters
Margin of Sampling Error for this question = ± 4.3%
http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/story.asp?S=5089991&nav=menu368_2_5_2
Kerry had a bunch of medals too.
Exactly. The liberals believe that unless you personally have gone through what the liberal has, then your 1st Amendment rights are somehow nullified.
Jim Webb - your intemperate rhetoric is extremely damaging in a time of war. If you were running for office during World War II, would you have smeared FDR because FDR had no military background? As a former military officer, have you forgotten what it means to exhibit decency and professionalism in your personal conduct?
By their standard then, they have no right to criticize the Iraq War because they've not experienced what our military people have experienced in trying to fight on that front in the war on terror.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Any former soldier who thinks he can use his past service as a weapon has forgotten why he served to begin with.
Ed Rogers, a Republican strategist was on Hairball a few minutes ago...and Bob "Loser" Shrum was telling Chrissy how many "easy" wins over incumbent Reps the Dems would have this year...
George Allen being one of them...but, Ed Rogers seemed pretty sure that Allen would have no problem with Webb.
He even said that the Reps are glad that Webb won the primary, because the dems will spend A LOT of $$$ to get him elected..and lose it...LOL
ping
But he probably wishes they hadn't.
Ping
True, Jim Webb was a hero. This doesn't mean that he can not be attacked on his views. I've really been disappointed with Jim Webb, he hasn't writen a good book in the last 15 years and his politics is a little wacky.
To be fair it's his campaign manager saying this, not Webb himself.
And Benedict Arnold was the hero of the Revolution. It didn't lessen or immunize his subsequent betrayal. While we can acknowledge and honor the service of any serviceman, it doesn't grant one lifelong immunity from criticism nor does it confer infallibility.
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