Defiant Iraq War Foe Defined by Vietnam (Profile of Virginia Senate Candidate Jim Webb)

Washington Post/Pravda DC Bureau ^ | 10/27/06 | Fredrick Kunkle

[freespirited]

James Webb will tell you that he is first a writer, with several best-selling novels to his name. He is also the descendant of brave-hearted Scots-Irish who stood up to English kings. He is a husband and father of four...But above all, Webb is still in his heart a combat Marine...

Now, Webb ... has become a face of the movement against the Iraq war. The man who admired Ronald Reagan and served his administration as a cocky secretary of the Navy is one of the Democrats' best hopes to wrest control of the Senate from the GOP as he challenges incumbent George Allen.

That this warrior rails against the war is only one of the contradictions in Webb's life, just a hint of the complexities and ironies that make him an uneasy candidate... Even his good friends question whether he has the temperament to serve in Congress...

His friends also wonder whether it was Webb's temperament that led at least partially to his writing a magazine article in 1979 about women in combat that some female midshipmen say encouraged hostility and sexual harassment.

The inflammatory article has become one of the turning points of the campaign and a key reason why Webb is not enjoying the success among female voters that other Virginia Democrats have, according to a recent Washington Post poll.

The article still resonates. "Now you've got a bona fide war hero -- and he just lined up every woman there and publicly executed us," said retired Navy Cmdr. Kathleen Murray, a 1984 Annapolis graduate.

Paul E. Roush, a retired Marine colonel, wrote in a 1997 naval journal that Webb's article was "the single greatest purveyor of degradation and humiliation on the basis of one's gender that academy women have had to endure."

[freespirited]

Read this thing in its entirety. It's actually not as fawning as the paper's previous Webb articles. Perhaps they were actually embarrassed by NRO's expose of their biased campaign coverage. (If you missed the NRO piece, it's posted here: search for The Washington Post vs. George Allen).

[freespirited]

George Allen ping

[WOSG]

Embarrassed by their abject WashCompPost bias???? Never!

[WOSG]

What will the WashPost say about Webb's writing?

http://www.redstate.com/blogs/christian_soldier/2006/oct/26/well_well_well_jim_webb

[Little_shoe]

I just dont understand how anyone fought in Vietnam could run as a Dem especially since mostly of the people in charge of the party spat in their faces when they returned from serving honorably.

[Brad from Tennessee]

I was very confused too. I had read many of his books, the last one, "Born Fighting," tells the history of the Scots-Irish in America. He does state in the book that FDR was the first U.S. president to bring economic relief to the exploited and unreconstructed deep south in the 1930's with the New Deal. In the book Webb basically talks about how great it is to be a deep-woods redneck. I admired Webb's service in an infantry company in Vietnam. I think he got the political bug and it has corrupted him like it does most other men. Like Wesley Clark, his military background and Democrat affiliation makes him a contradictory can of worms.

[Corin Stormhands]

Related Threads:

Drudge Siren: Allen's Revenge: Exposes Rival's Novel Writings; Underage Sex Scenes

Jim Webb's Pedophile Writings

And now we know about the timing for the campaign press release. To be honest, I wish they hadn't been the ones to get this out. But it's pretty obvious the Main Scream Media was ignoring this.

They "interviewed" everyone who ever came within 10 ft. of George Allen, but couldn't walk into Borders and thumb through one of Webb's books.

[R. Scott]

James Webb will tell you that he is first a writer, with several best-selling novels to his name. He is also the descendant of brave-hearted Scots-Irish who stood up to English kings. He is a husband and father of four...But above all, Webb is still in his heart a combat Marine...

Whoop di do.

I too am a writer, with one book published and I am working on a second.
I too am the descendant of brave-hearted Scots-Irish who stood up to English kings.
I too was a husband (now widowed).
I too am a father.
I am still a member of the US Army (Retired).

Does that make me - and a few million other guys - qualified for the job of Senator?

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

Thanks for the ping.

I feel ill just reading it.
Please tell me this is it for this sicko.

[Darnright]

>Even his good friends question whether he has the temperament to serve in Congress...<

Gee, ya think?

[MadIvan]

Does that make me - and a few million other guys - qualified for the job of Senator?

There are people already in the Senate with far fewer credentials than you, sir.

Regards, Ivan

[EDINVA]

"Does that make me - and a few million other guys - qualified for the job of Senator?"

Probabaly more than most, and methinks we'd rather take our chances with you!

[Joe 6-pack]

"But above all, Webb is still in his heart a combat Marine... "

No, above all, he is a surrendercrat.

[Darnright]

>Later, under pressure from Congress, Webb opened more jobs to women, as did the other military branches.<

Wow, the Post wrote this? They just pulled the rug out from under one of the Democrat talking points on why Webb's so wonderful.

"Webb has opened up more jobs to women than anyone else!"

He's taking on water, and the rats are manning the lifeboats.

[Just A Nobody]

Good point!

Main Scream Media ..... I like it!!!!!

[Just A Nobody]

R. Scott for Senate! You've got my vote!

[Flora McDonald]

I would vote for you.

[darth]

How did Webb ever get through the background investigation to work for Reagan? FUBAR!

[mrsmith]

"Cocky", "complexities", "temperament"...

The WashPost knows what his problem is all right- Jim Webb. He's weird.

[freespirited]

Good question when you consider that the real skeletons aren't even mentioned.

Perhaps when someone waves all those medals, the blinders go on.