Mark Warner, Kaine stand in for Webb (Seeing Marine son off to Iraq)

The Free Lance-Star ^ | 5 Sep 06 | CHELYEN DAVIS

[leadpenny]

How other newspapers in the area covered the story:

The News Virginian Waynesboro, Staunton and Augusta County

The News-Gazette Lexington

The Roanoke Times

[srmorton]

Webb is doing exactly what a father should do, but the cynic in me wonders why he had to do it so publicly.

[leadpenny]

Publicly?

[Hong Kong Expat]

Huh? Was there press? I didn't see any quotes from Webb?

It's a great campaign coup for Webb. I think more Republican leaders should get their kids to sign up for the Military. Could you imagine the surge of patriotism if the Bush Twins signed up. I think those two good looking girls in the Army would get a few hundred thousand extra boys to sign up.

[leadpenny]

How about the Allen daughters? /s

It's probably not realistic to expect anyone to sign up. What should have happened on 9-12 was for a Universal Service Bill to be place on the President's desk. It would have included a draft and it would have included women.

[Marius3188]

Come on guys, this is what Webb did : "Webb, who skipped the annual political event to spend time with his son, a Marine who is shipping out for Iraq this week."

Not much of publicity stunt at all. The (title) kinda implies Webb is at the Battleship waiving, as his son 'sails' away.

[Jimnorwellwarren]

"It's probably not realistic to expect anyone to sign up. What should have happened on 9-12 was for a Universal Service Bill to be place on the President's desk. It would have included a draft and it would have included women."

Interesting view of military service. The current circumstances haven't prevented hundreds of thousands from volunteering over the last few years, to include the sons of Duncan Huner and John McCain. Military service should be something every American young man attempts. With five active services and their reserve components there is really no reason a physically (and otherwise qualified) young man ought not attempt to join.

As regards drafting women, what would be the point if we are drafting all the men we need? If anything, conscription would allow the military to raise standards and eliminate double standards in place to accomodate females. The Army and probably the rest of the services would be able to bring their percentage of females serving back down the the pre-1973 levels.

[leadpenny]

"The Washington Times" hard copy has a piece in the Metro section but I can't find it on the net:

Virginia

"Allen celebrates in traditional style as Webb prepares son for Iraq duty"

by Seth Mclaughlin

Excerpt:

"As Republican Sen. George Allen, clad in a cowboy hat, rode a horse named Bubba and waved to people along the parade route, his challenger, James H. Webb Jr. drove his son Jimmy, a 24-year-old Marine lance corporal, to Camp Lejeune, N.C., where he is scheduled for deployment to Iraq today."

[leadpenny]

"As regards drafting women, what would be the point . . . "

Because they are already in the military and to keep them from the embarrassment of being in the "Cake And Eat It Too" Brigade.

[Jimnorwellwarren]

Well, using that logic we could draft men up to age 42 since they can elist that old and many are "in the fight" or at least deployed. No, the draft would allow the army to raise the standards. The military isn't about allowing anybody to save-face; if it were we wouldn't have the dual standards to begin with.

[leadpenny]

I don't know what you're talking about. Are you against women being in the military, period?

[srmorton]

Sometimes I think you people just read FR to "pounce" on every little word that a poster uses.

I live in Jacksonville which is the home of Camp Lejeune and hundreds of parents, wives, siblings, etc., come here from all over the US to see their sons and daughters off to whatever deployment it may be. (There are deployments other than to Iraq.) It is a weekly occurrence for us here and our local paper publicizes the deployments as well as the homecomings.

When I said "publicly", I did not mean that he was going to bring the press with him and make a big production out of it, but is there ANYONE who is following this election who does not know what Webb was doing yesterday? Webb does not have to say a word. Every reporter who writes a story about the subject will publicize it for him.

I honor both Webb and his son for their military service, but I do not understand how anyone who had the privilege of serving Ronald Reagan could become a member of today's defeatist Democrat party. His view of the war is even less understandable when you consider that his son will be in harm's way in Iraq. IMO, you can not support the troops if you do not support their mission.

[srmorton]

I should have added husbands, wives, brothers, and sisters after the word daughters to make better sense of that sentence.

[leadpenny]

What was Webb supposed to do, lie to the press when they surely asked why he wouldn't be at the rally?

As far as supporting the troops and not supporting the mission. That's me. We should have already obliterated a few cities in the ME instead of being bogged down in Iraq.

[leadpenny]

Oh, and "you people" makes me nervous. You're not a "you people?"

[srmorton]

That phrase is in honor of Rush. It goes back to when Perot was speaking to the NAACP and used the term "you people" in referring to the crowd.

About the mission - that is the reason the troops get up every day and put themselves in danger, whether it be in Iraq or a training mission right here at home. Their mission is the be all and end all to them. That is what their months and years of training have been for - to prepare them for whatever mission they are assigned by their CO and CinC. As long as they are not asked to do anything illegal or anything that is in violation of the oath they took when they enlisted, they are required to do everything they can to see that the mission is successful.

[leadpenny]

I hear ya. I just disagree with the mission assigned them by the Command Authority.

"You People" You've been here for over four months, so unless you are a sleeper troll, you are one of the FreeRepublic "you people."

[Coop]

I agree with you. The Democrats used this as a political tool, and they did it well. Webb should have been with his son, but I have to wonder how he would have answered had his son said,

"Dad, why are you here? You've been publicly trashing our mission for three years, and now I'm supposed to believe you're here to wish me luck?"

[leadpenny]

Coop, there are some things dads don't talk to their sons about - - especially when one of them is getting ready to deploy. Been there - on both sides of the fence.

[Coop]

I've been there, too. My father, a Vietnam veteran, would not have been welcome on the flight line had he behaved like Jim Webb. But he never would have been such an ass.