Virginia Needs This Fighting Democrat
The people calling the shots in Washington have a habit of treating veterans and members of the military as terrific backdrops for their speeches, but they don't listen to them about what they're seeing on the ground as they serve (witness the body armor ordeal,) they ignore the lessons military men and women learned in uniform (just ask General Shinseki,) and, judging by Bush policies they certainly don't pay any attention to their needs when they come home (they tolerate billion dollar shortfalls in veterans funding.)They won't be able to ignore Senator Jim Webb. Jim won't tolerate that garbage when he's in the United States Senate, and I pity the Republican or bureaucrat who gets on his bad side. Jim's got courage -- and when I came out in support of him I endorsed his courage and his character in his campaign for the Senate. We need more people of strength and character in the Senate, and that means we need leaders like Jim who have served honorably in the military and in the government on behalf of the country they love.
thanks for the heads up beachmom and I hope your questions about Jim Webb have been allayed.
Please continue to visit RK often...
And may I commend to you this article on the GOP culture of corruption, which includes quotes from the guy who ran the NH phone jamming operation? He's out of jail now and he's talking.
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2006/06/10/fallen_star_blames_self_gop_tactics/?page=full
What he says, in a nutshell: the GOP idea is to polarize voters to win elections (well, we knew that) and then instead of making public policy for the benefit of the people, make public policy to make money for political friends. Again, we knew that, but it is nice to see someone state it who was part of it. That's why I stopped voting Republican -- I could see it all around me when I was working for the feds.
Hey everybody -- I want DETAILS about the Kerry/Webb rally. It's too far away for me to go, but I do enjoy reading people's thoughts and observations.
http://jameswebb.com/articles/nytimes/purpleheartbreakers.htm
Military people past and present have good reason to wonder if the current administration truly values their service beyond its immediate effect on its battlefield of choice. The casting of suspicion and doubt about the actions of veterans who have run against President Bush or opposed his policies has been a constant theme of his career. This pattern of denigrating the service of those with whom they disagree risks cheapening the public's appreciation of what it means to serve, and in the long term may hurt the Republicans themselves.
"All Things Considered," Senator Kerry and the Swifties
24 August 2004
http://jameswebb.com/articles/NPR/npr8%2024%2004.htm
If the young John Kerry were so able to manipulate the Navy's system that he unfairly collected five decorations, the system itself has no credibility, and all awards become meaningless. Indeed, one of the Swifties has had to deny the content of his own Bronze Star citation indicating that he was under enemy fire at the same time as was Kerry, in order to further their contention that Kerry's citation was false. This confusing conduct threatens to harm the public's view of those who fought in Vietnam as much as anything that John Kerry did when he came home and turned against the war.
(The statement you excerpted kinda brought up the old wounds again -- the last sentence is equating the SBVT lying about Kerry's medals with Kerry protesting the war afterward. Ouch. Maybe it's best not to bring back what Webb said in '04. It still hurts as I think Kerry's protest of the Vietnam War was a greater act of courage than even his actions that earned him medals in Vietnam).