Jim Webb for Vice President Today, and President Tomorrow
By Brent Budowsky
Created Sep 28 2007 - 12:56pm
Every so often in Washington a figure rises who is exceptional,
extraordinary and destined for great things. Many in the Congress and
national politics have great acts but beneath the surface are more of the
same, with better wrapping. Others are special. Jim Webb is very special.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) is not only a military hero, but one of the truly
great heroes of the American military. This is no exaggeration.
The magnitude of his heroism, valor, courage under fire and leadership in
war were light-years beyond the call of duty, which made his brilliant
arguments against the Iran war fever being drummed up by Sens. Joe Lieberman
(I-Conn.), Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) and the neoconservative salons so hard-hitting.
In one of the more extraordinary moments in the history of the Senate, Sen.
John Warner, Webb's Republican colleague from Virginia - and his fellow
former Marine and former secretary of the U.S. Navy - demonstrated the
difference between business as usual and the kind of profound sense of honor
that is so rare in American politics today.
Webb offered an extremely important amendment that would have rationalized
troop rotation schedules for Americans serving in Iraq.
Evincing the highest tradition of the Senate, and the highest ideal of
honorable bipartisanship, to win Sen. Warner's support, Webb made key
changes to his amendment. Webb moved back the effective date to give the
military a few months to plan, as Warner requested. Webb also exempted
special forces from the amendment, as Warner requested.
Sen. Warner agreed to support the Webb amendment.
Sen. Warner then reneged.
Apparently Sen. Warner, after serving in the Senate for 29 years, after
having been chairman of the Armed Services Committee when Republicans were
in control, after having served in the Marine Corps and as secretary of the
Navy - after all this, he did not know enough about troop rotations when he
agreed, before reneging, to support the Webb amendment.
Sen. Warner represents business as usual in Washington, D.C., and in my
humble opinion, would never have supported, and will never support, any
change in U.S. policy in Iraq that has a realistic chance of coming into
effect.
Sen. Warner's role in this Republican kabuki is not to change the policy,
but to offer Senate Republicans the opportunity to pretend they want to
change the policy. Yet once change is possible, he, and they, will renege
every time (excepting a handful of profiles in courage such as Nebraska Sen.
Chuck Hagel).
While Democrats could certainly perform more strongly, the reason the war
continues unabated is 97 percent because of Republicans such as Warner. And
the best of hope of ending this catastrophe is to put the fear of God in the
Senate Republicans that they will be defeated, and then to defeat them.
Sen. Webb, by contrast, is a conviction politician and a leader who knows
who he is, why he came to Washington, and what he wants to do. He is equally
comfortable looking George W. Bush in the eye and telling him what he really
thinks, and working in good faith with Sen. Warner, though that good faith,
obviously, was not reciprocated.
Listening to Sen. Warner's near-worshipful speech heaping praise and honors
on Jim Webb, using extravagant language to describe Webb's heroism and
statesmanship, at the very moment Warner announced his reneging, was both
surreal and revealing.
Warner came to praise Webb, while he voted to bury him. Webb conducted
himself with dignity, honor, professionalism, statesmanship, leadership and
honesty.
Warner is business as usual. Webb is business the way democracy in America
ought to be.
Warner is the Senate at its worst. Webb is the Senate the Founding Fathers
intended when they wrote the Constitution.
Warner is the Senate of maneuver, calculation and timidity. Webb is the
Senate of conviction, political courage and principle.
To Clinton, Obama, Edwards, Richardson, Biden, Dodd, Kucinich and Gravel or
whoever the Democrats will nominate for president, it is time to put Jim
Webb at the top of the list.
Jim Webb for vice president today.
Jim Webb for president tomorrow.
At last, a leader.
[Editor's note: Brent asks that you crosspost your comments at The Hill,
where this blog post also appears. [1]]
_______
About author Brent Budowsky served as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator
Lloyd Bentsen, responsible for commerce and intelligence matters, including
one of the core drafters of the CIA Identities Law. Served as Legislative
Director to Congressman Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Whip, House of
Representatives. Currently a member of the International Advisory Council of
the Intelligence Summit. Left goverment in 1990 for marketing and public
affairs business including major corporate entertainment and talent
management. He can be reached at [2].
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"A little patience and we shall see the reign of witches pass over, their
spells dissolve, and the people recovering their true sight, restore their
government to its true principles. It is true that in the meantime we are
suffering deeply in spirit,
and incurring the horrors of a war and long oppressions of enormous public
debt. But if the game runs sometimes against us at home we must have
patience till luck turns, and then we shall have an opportunity of winning
back the principles we have lost, for this is a game where principles are at
stake."
-Thomas Jefferson
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