Sat, Jul. 04, 2009 12:16 AM
Weather:
ADVERTISE - Alerts - Mobile - Closings - Contact   
    YOUR COMMUNITY:  Caroline | Culpeper | King George | Fredericksburg | Orange | Spotsylvania | Stafford | Westmoreland

advertisement

advertisement

 

 


 

Webb talk

Make a post about this story on FredTalk. Get a printer-friendly version of this page. E-mail this story to a friend.

Follow us on
twitter
fredericksburg.com Facebook page

Here's an idea: Could Jim Webb be Barack Obama's choice for the No. 2 spot?

Date published: 5/13/2008

HERE'S A THOUGHT: Gerald Pomper, professor emeritus of political science at Rutgers University, suggests on realclearpoli tics.com that if Barack Obama succeeds in winning the Democratic nomination for president, he should pick Virginia Sen. Jim Webb as his running mate.

His thinking is sound. The articulate and urbane Mr. Obama lacks experience and credentials in foreign policy and national security. Those who see defense as this nation's most pressing need would be drawn to the GOP's Sen. John McCain.

But adding Mr. Webb to the Democratic ticket would diffuse some of that enthusiasm. Mr. Webb, a first-term senator, is a graduate of the Naval Academy and a highly decorated Vietnam veteran. His bona fides include four military medals for valor as a Marine officer in Vietnam and service as secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan. As a novelist, he is in the first rank of interpreters of the Vietnam War experience from the grunt's perspective.

If that's not enough, Mr. Webb claims rural roots among the Scots-Irish frontiersmen whose descendants work in the coal mines of Appalachia and fill blue-collar jobs all over America--exactly the constituency most resistant to Mr. Obama.

Whether Mr. Webb would accept the second spot on the ticket is unknown, but given his drive to gain the Senate seat held by George Allen, it's easy to imagine he would.


Date published: 5/13/2008


Most recent reader comments:

Viewing 5 out of 22 comments. (Sorted in reverse order, with most recent post at the top.)

Display comments on this page. | Sort:

PLEASE READ: These reader comments are not moderated. Each user is solely responsible for any message (s)he posts here. The Free Lance-Star does not endorse the views expressed within these comments. All users who post to this Web site must agree to the terms of the FredTalk User Agreement. We rely on our readers to police themselves, and report any content that violates our User Agreement. In accordance with our User Agreement, we reserve the right to remove any post at any time for any reason, and will restrict access of registered users who repeatedly violate our terms. Any reader can report inappropriate content by clicking the "Report this post to admins" link at the bottom of each comment. You need not be registered to report a post.

I cetainly am biased, Mikester. I support good candidates/policies, and vote down bad ones. (posted by Chiswald , May 19, 2008 11:35 am)   
Chicken hawk George Allen was a trash talking, racist, misogynist hack who served as a rubber stamp for Bush while in the Senate. Jim Webb is a decorated combat veteran who rebuilt the Navy under Reagan, and has stood up and challenged Bush on his failed policies. Webb has introduced legislation to extend benefits to military families, stop multiple redeployments, and prohibit Bush from pursuing military operations against Iran without congressional approval. Webb also favors health care reform.

little biased? (posted by mikester , May 19, 2008 9:04 am)   
what was the point of that anti-republican rant? And what has Webb done? any evidence of something he's accomplished?

Mikester... George Allen was a loser who lost his "power". The people voted him out. (posted by Chiswald , May 18, 2008 7:19 am)   
And now we have a better "community" because Webb, a superior candidate, is now our Senator. (Voters kicked arrogant Allen's teeth down HIS whining throat). In case you hadn't noticed, the GOP is in serious trouble. The electorate has had enough of the ethically challenged republicans and their party of scandal, corruption, greed, overspending, and mismanagement. Republicans themselves are comparing their party to stale dog food. Some rats are abandoning the sinking ship, others are simply drowning.

Mike (posted by freedomfirst , May 18, 2008 3:52 am)   
It's always about power.

authors own words (posted by mikester , May 17, 2008 2:47 pm)   
"but given his drive to gain the Senate seat held by George Allen" Shouldn't it be about bettering the community, not about gaining power.

What do you think?
Enter your FredTalk username and password to post a comment on this story. If you are registered on FredTalk or another part of this site, use that login here. Otherwise, you can just REGISTER here... .

Username: Password:

Post title:


Please keep it brief: (512-character limit)
Please make sure CAPS LOCK is off. Posts in ALL CAPS will be deleted.)


By checking this box, you agree to the terms of the FredTalk User agreement.