May 23, 2008
The release of the book, A Time to Fight: Reclaiming a Fair and Just America by Senator James H. Webb of Virginia, could not have been better timed. As he makes the rounds of the talk shows to promote his latest book, nobody can seem to resist asking Webb how he would respond if he were asked to run as Barack Obama’s Vice-Presidential pick. He has replied with the customary “I haven’t been asked” and usually dodges the ultimate question. He fits the bill so well, he cannot possibly be overlooked. Consider the following:
Obama’s lopsided losses to Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky were widely regarded as the result of his failure to “connect” with the “white working class” people there. As it turns out, Jim Webb wrote a book about those Appalachian people, called: Born Fighting: How the Scots-Irish Shaped America. As one of those people himself, born into a military family in Saint Joseph, Missouri, not only can he connect with those people to bridge the gap between them and Obama, but he can also provide the “insider” expertise for delivering Obama’s message to them.
Webb’s military record is more impressive than McCain’s POW experience. Jim Webb served a full tour in Viet Nam. (A tour was only one year back then.) As a First Lieutenant in the Marines, Webb earned a Navy Cross, (the second highest decoration for combat heroism in the Navy and Marine Corps). He also earned two Bronze Stars, the Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts. The citation awarded with Webb’s Navy Cross, reads like a movie script. We see that kind of heroism on the big screen, although most of us doubt such a degree of valor ever actually takes place in battle. Shielding a fellow soldier from a grenade, beats a stint in the Hanoi Hilton when it’s time for kudos (especially in the realm of politics). With a background that includes having served as Secretary of the Navy during the Reagan Administration, he has the perfect resume, which lists degrees from Annapolis and Georgetown Law School.
The disgruntled supporters of Hillary Clinton will surely remind us of Webb’s 1979 article, entitled “Why Women Can’t Fight”. Webb’s female military supporters can be expected to return to his rescue in this battle, just as they defended him from this attack in the 2006 Senate race. The so-called “Hard Right” Republicans will likely launch an attack of their own. They will point out that Webb has been married three times, despite the fact that all of the 2008 Republican Presidential candidates had multiple marriages (except The Mormon). We will also be advised that some of the novels written by Webb had “dirty parts” – really dirty parts. (Expect to see one of these novels on the Amazon.com Top 100 list, once this debate begins.)
Although Webb has served only eighteen months in the Senate, he has at least some familiarity with life there, as opposed to a Governor who could become Vice-President. One would expect that to become President of the Senate, the aspirant should have some prior experience there. We have not seen a former Governor rise to VP since Nelson Rockefeller (with Ford) and Spiro Agnew (with Nixon).
Webb’s ex-Republican background is what sets him ahead of Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, who still is a Republican. Although Hagel is considered a “dream pick” for a “unity ticket”, The Democratic “Party Elders” would not likely stomach the idea of a Republican cutting in and jumping into the coveted VP slot. Even if Hagel were to defect to the Democratic Party (given that he is now ending his twelve-year career in the Senate) there are plenty of other hopefulls, ready to elbow him out of contention.
The longer one considers the usefulness and qualifications of Jim Webb for the VP spot on the Obama ticket, the better Webb looks for the Democrats.