I saw the ad at the recent Webb event opening the Roanoke Election Office. I found nothing that could even be mistaken for impropriety. I am NOT a Reagan fan, and that ad is not something that would persuade me to vote for Mr Webb, though his stance on the issues will cause me to vote for him. However, this ad, as it was intended to, should get the attention of certain voters that may be sitting on the fence.

And who knows? Maybe one day, former FEMA director Brown may decide to run for office, and I would not like for him to be prohibited from using the clip of Bush saying "You're doing a great job, Brownie!"

Right.

consistency and sound logic are not familiar ground for the right wing

This is why Jim Webb's campaign is not doing what is right.  You have to be sensitive to the fact that you switched parties.  Why do you need the voice of Reagan anyway.  Anyone who is foolish enough to consider Reagan a God probably won't vote for any Democrat.

And Lieberman is equally entitled to air video of when Gore has praised him in the past.  But he would do so with the risk that Gore might decide to create new video explaining why he supports Lamont now. 

I think the ad is terrific, and I expect the Repbs know it which is why they are so desperate to stop it that they tried to trump it with Mrs. Reagan despite their own hypocrisy in using an image of Reagan.

I think Jim's response on it is right on -  he welcomes the Allen campaign going to the Reagan library and finding and using any video they can find of Reagan praising Allen.

if reagan was nothing else he was good with words. wadhams will argue that those words belong to the republican party. i say they belong to history and to jim webb.

And yes, we do need Republicans to win this race.  At lot of those Republicans used to be Democrats and left the party after Vietnam and during the Reagan Administration.  Those Democrats helped elect Ronald Reagan twice and this commercial is going to tell those same "Reagan" Democrats who Jim Webb is, what kind of man he has been his whole life. His whole career has been based on Duty, Honor and Country, principles he learned in the Marine Corps.  They have guided his actions from Annapolis to this Senate run.

  Hopefully the ad will help separate Jim from the weak-kneed candidates we've been losing elections with for the last decade. 

I say run that ad until every Voter has it memorized.  And for Dems who hated Reagan, they need to grow up and get over it.  Jim Webb served America when Ronald Reagan was President, and when he felt like the Republicans over him were gutting the Navy, he resigned his office over principle not politics. So big deal--he worked for Reagan.  The only people who are bothered about that are scared neocons and bone-headed Dems who can't get over the eighties.  It's now the 21st Century and anyone who thinks Nancy Reagan is gonna affect the election in Virgina need to rethink their opinion.
If the neocons big gotcha is that Jim Webb was praised by Ronald Reagan for his service--then by all means let them throw Jim in briar patch. 

Too many Democrats are so used to losing, they've forgotten what it takes to win.  We will have to fight to win this country back, and if I know Jim, he's not gonna back down now.  He needs to use every weapon at hand and that includes praise from Reagan.  This ad is a knife in the heart of George Allen.  Why do you thing they're squawking so much.  This ad is killing Allen.  Dick Wadhams knows it. And the more they talk about, the more people will watch the ad.  It's like have a book banned in Boston.  No better way to guarantee a best-seller.  Let them bitch.  Let the pundits turn it over every which way.  The message still gets out there.  And the message is: Jim Webb is an American Hero.  He served this country with honor and integrity.  And every time the neocons try to make it a bad thing, they have to show the ad and the ad helps Jim. 

The ad does nothing but take the high road.  It's a good ad.  It says nothing but good about Reagan and nothing but good about Webb.  Best of all, there's a lot of information in the ad that a lot of voters are hearing for the first time.

And, just my opinion, you're not doing anything here but repeating the Republican talking points. 

Too many Democrats are so used to losing, they've forgotten what it takes to win.  We will have to fight to win this country back, and if I know Jim, he's not gonna back down now.  He needs to use every weapon at hand and that includes praise from Reagan.  This ad is a knife in the heart of George Allen.  Why do you thing they're squawking so much.  This ad is killing Allen.  Dick Wadhams knows it. And the more they talk about, the more people will watch the ad.  It's like have a book banned in Boston.  No better way to guarantee a best-seller.  Let them bitch.  Let the pundits turn it over every which way.  The message still gets out there.  And the message is: Jim Webb is an American Hero.  He served this country with honor and integrity.  And every time the neocons try to make it a bad thing, they have to show the ad and the ad helps Jim.

February 23, 1988

Dear Jim:

It is with regret that I accept your resignation as Secretary of the Navy, effective February 22, 1988.

During the past four years, you have served our country with honor and courage, just as you have throughout your distinguished career. As my first Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, you played a major role in revitalizing the reserve components of our Armed Forces. You were instrumental in restoring confidence and pride in one of our most noble national traditions — the concept of the American citizen-soldier.

Since taking the helm a year ago as Secretary of the Navy, you continued to press forward the highest standards of excellence throughout the Navy and Marine Corps. From the most remote outposts to the lecture halls of Annapolis, your commitment to the quality of our military capability and the well-being of our men and women in uniform has been undivided.

As your service to this Administration comes to a close, I want to thank you for the selflessness and loyalty that you have always personified. In the end, it is these qualities that will ensure that freedom endures in this generation and in every generation to come.

Godspeed in all your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Ronald Reagan

Again, my favorite part:

Since taking the helm a year ago as Secretary of the Navy, you continued to press forward the highest standards of excellence throughout the Navy and Marine Corps. From the most remote outposts to the lecture halls of Annapolis, your commitment to the quality of our military capability and the well-being of our men and women in uniform has been undivided.

I fail to see where the opinion of the unelected former First Lady has any bearing on a conversation between the President and his Secretary of the Navy.  None.

if she dictated or reviewed and approved the letter why didn't she sign it ?

I sincerely hope Jim will try to contact someone -- either Ron Jr or Nancy -- and straighten out the whole thing. As for lack of signature? I suspect that she no more saw the letter than she saw the ad. But it won't matter, unless we can get a -- signed! -- reversal

The fact that Nancy has asked the campaign to stop, and the request has been ignored, is what voters will remember.  Webb needs to address her concerns, like a gentleman.  If he doesn't, we can expect Allen to be in an ad with Mrs. Reagan, with a protective arm around her, while she chastises Webb, and praises Allen.  We will hear how much Reagan loved Allen and how he came to distrust Webb when Webb turned against him. We will also hear that the former President would be very upset to know that his image was being used in a campaign for a democrat after his frail little wife asked them to stop.  Webb will end up looking like a bully, one who never even addressed Mrs. Reagan's concerns and showed no respect for her husband, and for her wishes. 

I still don't see how this helps the Webb campaign.  Whose votes will he gain by running this ad?  Certainly not any voters who liked Reagan and still like his wife.  No one wants to see her beat up over a Senate campaign.  I've never been a big fan of Nancy's, but her requests should be honored.  If not, it's going to come back to haunt Webb.  Sometime around mid-October we should see the airwaves plastered with Mrs. Reagan's image.  That should go far to get republicans to the polls, for Allen.  :( 

Whose votes will he gain by running this ad?

People who voted for Reagan, or thought he was their kind of guy.

People that never connected with his be-jewelled wife, or her Hollywood astrologer friends.

People that like a man who can deliver the fight directly, and not back down. 

Veterans that cherish service to Country and value the honors that have come to James Webb.

Little people that like to dream that their family might go from sharecropper to Secretary of the Navy in 3 generations.

Mine.

Mrs Reagan may be a frail old lady, but she's not *that* frail mentally, or not that I've heard. I think you're seeing WMDs in Iraq...

YOU DON'T LISTEN.  This has been explained countless times, yet you always bring it up again.  So what is it, IPub?  Do you not listen, do you have NO memory, or do you just not care? 

I am of the opinion Little Miss Nancy never saw the ad for herself, that George Allen or Wadhams contacted Ed Meese (who has plenty of Iran Contra and other unsavory skeletons of his own in his spacious closet)crying "help! help!" and Ed Meese, good republican operative that he is, responded. Miss Nancy did not sign the letter. Fine, the letter has been sent and received. End of chapter.

There is nothing negative in Mr. Webb's ad, and, unlike typical republican ads it contains no distortions, misrepresentations, or other falsehoods. It is using items of public record and no one could mistake that use for an endorsement by a long dead white man who was President at the time--- President of the entire country, by the wa, not just of Republicans. As Mr. Webb remarked, let George Allen comb through the records and find something good about George that Ronnie said, if he can, and use it himself (instead of simply borrowing a photo of Regan and another of Thomas Jefferson's portrait and plastering them unauthorized on his web site). Godspeed, Jim Webb.

Moving on, don't keep donating to the republicans any more free publicity or traction with their assinine whining.

How's that search for Reagan endorsing Allen going? No luck yet?

And, consistent with their "do as I tell you, not as I do", they didn't wait to check the facts (the ad itself) before they spoke. Somewhat ironic, when you remember how y'all *howled* at our doing the same thing with the ABC's Tortured Path. Even though the Tortured Path *lied*, blatantly, while there's nothing but truth in Webb's ad.

PS I'm new to this blog (about a week) and didn't realise that  persistent trolls (and the responses to same) could be deleted. I think it's a mistake; irritating as they may be, we need to know what they think and how they frame their "arguments", just so we can learn how to refute them better. Hiding our heads in the sand and pretending the other side doesn't exist is not going to help us any.

By the way, welcome to RK!