Webb Delivers Democrats Radio Address: Big AP Story

By: PM
Published On: 10/28/2006 12:45:28 PM

248619183_af4e787cebThis week, Democratic Senatorial candidate Jim Webb of Virginia delivered the  Democratic Radio Address.

Here's an audio link.

His key point from a political standpoint:

And to be blunt, the very people who are responsible for having brought us to this situation, such as my opponent here in Virginia, are avoiding even discussing it in detail on the campaign trail.


The AP write up by Bob Lewis is very good, and is currently a lead story on the front page of Yahoo:

http://news.yahoo.co...

Here are the highlights.  I love the headline.


Webb: Democrats will provide Iraq remedy
  By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer

The only remedy to a series of Iraq policy failures by President Bush is a Democratic takeover of Congress in the Nov. 7 election, Virginia Senate candidate Jim Webb said Saturday.

The former Republican, who was President Reagan's Navy secretary, said in the Democrats' weekly radio address that Bush's "incompetence" in Iraq had undercut the fight against terrorism.

***
"Since 2003, President Bush has laid out nine different plans for victory in Iraq, none of them serious and none of them workable. And most seriously, this incompetence has hindered our ability to fight international terror," Webb said.

***
Webb warned in a newspaper column in 2002, the year before Bush ordered the Iraq invasion, that a war there would destabilize the oil-rich Middle East and mire U.S. forces in a bloody and protracted conflict. As of Friday, 2,810 American troops had died in Iraq.

"It gives me no great pleasure today to be saying `I told you so,'" said Webb, whose son, Jimmy, is a Marine on active duty in Iraq. "It pains me as an American that our casualties are again escalating while this president and his followers are still incapable of bringing forward an intelligent, commonsense approach to ending our involvement there."

Webb cited Iraq and other Bush-backed policies among his reasons for leaving the GOP. Now, other Republicans are reaching the same conclusions he did about the war.

"Over the past several weeks a few realists in the Republican Party, such as (Virginia) Sen. John Warner (news, bio, voting record) and former Secretary of State Jim Baker, have begun to make their voices heard. They are moving away from the fantasy world of this administration, toward real solutions," Webb said.

Allen has been one of Bush's most reliable supporters of the war, but Allen began playing down his stance three weeks ago after Warner, the respected Armed Services Committee chairman, returned from Iraq with a grim assessment of increasing sectarian carnage there.

With polls nationally and in Virginia showing low popularity for both the president and the war, Allen sought to align himself with Warner on the issue. However, Allen has refused to publicly differ from Bush's intent to keep troops in Iraq through his term.

"A Democratic Congress will demand from day one that the president find a real way forward in Iraq. We'll work with the administration and other Republicans to develop a concrete plan, but none of us are ready to settle for empty rhetoric, or the same old unacceptable results," Webb said.

In the Saturday address, Webb did not mention the latest controversy in the Virginia Senate campaign. On Friday, Allen's campaign selected sexually explicit passages from Webb's six war novels and thrust them into the race, claiming they are demeaning to women.

Webb's fiction evokes events he witnessed as a Marine in some of Vietnam's bloodiest battles and the scarring effect they had on those who fought in them. It includes descriptions of sex and rape.

I think AP handled the "novel" issue the way it should be handled.

Here's the full text of the speech from the Dem website-----

Good morning. This is Jim Webb from Virginia.

More than four years ago - long before this Administration ordered the invasion of Iraq - I warned publicly that an invasion and occupation of that country would be a strategic blunder, that our troops would become terrorist targets, and that there was no exit strategy because the people who were doing this did not intend to leave.

It gives me no great pleasure today to be saying "I told you so." It pains me as an American that our casualties are again escalating while this President and his followers are still incapable of bringing forward an intelligent, common-sense approach to ending our involvement there. And to be blunt, the very people who are responsible for having brought us to this situation, such as my opponent here in Virginia, are avoiding even discussing it in detail on the campaign trail.

With the right leadership, the situation in Iraq is solvable, in a way that will increase stability in the Middle East and reduce the threat of international terrorism. But the key word is leadership, which has been a scarce commodity among this Administration and its followers. Over the past several weeks a few realists in the Republican Party, such as Senator John Warner and former Secretary of State Jim Baker, have begun to make their voices heard. They are moving away from the fantasy world of this administration, toward real solutions. And it is gratifying to me that many of their comments are similar to the proposals that I began making nearly two and a half years ago.

Since early 2004 I have advocated the same basic approach.

First, the Administration should make it clear that we have no intention to build permanent bases in Iraq. A long-term United States military presence in Iraq would further destabilize the entire region. Declaring our intention to withdraw our combat forces will take the moral high ground away from the insurgency in the eyes of the Muslim world, and would defuse the concern of other Iraqis that we plan to stay for good. In addition, removing our combat forces would be healthy for our military. Our Army and Marine Corps have become dangerously over-extended by three years of occupation. A re-positioning of forces will allow them to more aggressively pursue the War on Terrorism.

As recently as Wednesday, the President has said exactly the opposite, promising to keep US bases in Iraq as long as the Iraqis want them.

Second, we should bring together those countries in the region that are culturally and historically invested in Iraq, so that they can become involved in a diplomatic solution, taking responsibility at some level for future stability among Iraq's competing factions. This is do-able-in fact we did it in Afghanistan in 2001. As Secretary Baker pointed out recently, we should have the common sense to begin dialogue not only with our friends, but also our enemies. By beginning such a dialogue- something this Administration, with the strong support of George Allen, has refused to do - we could loosen up the unnatural alliance between Syria and Iran. We could also encourage accountability among other nations in that region, who are now threatened by Iraq's instability and will benefit by a proper solution.

In contrast to such a logical approach, this administration for years has dealt with this crisis through focus-group tested sound bites such as "cut and run," and "stay the course."

Since 2003, President Bush has laid out nine different plans for victory in Iraq, none of them serious and none of them workable. And most seriously, this incompetence has hindered our ability to fight international terror.

If we want a new direction in Iraq, we need a new team in Congress. A democratic Congress will demand from day one that the President find a real way forward in Iraq. We'll work with the Administration and other Republicans to develop a concrete plan, but none of us are ready to settle for empty rhetoric, or the same old unacceptable results.

This is not simply an election year talking point, or a position arrived at a week before voters go to the polls. I have held these views deeply for years. The stakes are too high in Iraq for Americans to be led by propagandistic phrases such "stay the course." Our troops are counting on our leadership. And our national security demands a change.

I'm Jim Webb. Thanks for listening.



Comments



Very nice (TurnVirginiaBlue - 10/28/2006 2:27:16 PM)
That's it, isn't it?

Allen cannot understand what war really is, so he tries to take out of context disgusting scenes from war novels.

Webb, on the other hand, understands what war really is and how incompetent Bush and George Allen really are.

He's patriotic.  He's running because he wants to save our nation from military, foreign policy, trade policy and economic disaster.

I'm glad Democrats are having him be front man.  After all, that's why I'm supporting him, to be a front man on a change of direction for the United States.

He's competent.  Allen isn't.



cross post (TurnVirginiaBlue - 10/28/2006 2:30:17 PM)
This radio address was so strong, I think you should diary it over on dailykos.


I just checked and it was linked (PM - 10/28/2006 3:48:09 PM)
It only had nine comments however.  I'm wondering if I should do an improved link.  I thought it was very powerful.


timing (TurnVirginiaBlue - 10/28/2006 6:08:44 PM)
Sometimes it's timing.  Maybe tomorrow early am.

I agree, it's really powerful and deserves some attention.



As far as I'm concerned (Arturo - 10/28/2006 2:57:49 PM)
No offense to other candidates, but in my opinion, Jim Webb is THE most intelligent candidate this year.


IMHO (TurnVirginiaBlue - 10/28/2006 3:47:32 PM)
I gotta agree, even when I don't agree with something he has said,  he's really thinking things through and that is most what we need.

I'd give Jon Tester a run for the money on plain good old fashioned smarts too.



Here's the Bloomberg Story (PM - 10/28/2006 4:05:43 PM)
I don't think Allen is coming off well in these stories; there are implied digs at his "novelist" gambit.  As a salute to Jim Webb's service, I am going to be occasionally adding pictures of the Vietnam War -- this one is from 1968.

15

http://www.bloomberg...

Democrat James Webb Calls on Bush to Rule Out Iraqi Bases

By Miles Weiss

Oct. 28 (Bloomberg) -- President George Bush should clarify that the U.S. has no plans to build permanent bases in Iraq, said James Webb, a novelist and former Navy secretary who is running for the Senate in Virginia, in the Democratic Party's weekly radio address.

``Declaring our intention to withdraw our combat forces will take the moral high ground away from the insurgency in the eyes of the Muslim world,'' Webb, a former Marine who fought in Vietnam, said. It would also ``defuse the concern of other Iraqis that we plan to stay for good,'' said Webb.

***
Webb, who is trying to unseat Republican Senator George Allen, also called on the Bush administration to begin negotiating with other countries in the region that are ``culturally and historically invested'' in Iraq.

The Bush administration, ``with the strong support of George Allen,'' has refused to begin a dialogue with Iran and Syria, Webb said.

Allen's lead in the race has disappeared following a comment he made about one of Webb's campaign workers who is of Indian descent. Democrats have also been running advertisements that cite Allen's failure to disclose stock options he held in local companies while serving in the Senate.

Allen's aides have been trying to persuade media outlets to report on sex scenes included in Webb's books, and Allen said that sexual content in the novels belittles women, the Washington Post reported.

Webb defended his historical novels about the war in Vietnam as ``serious'' and called Allen's attack part of a negative campaign unable to offer ideas, the newspaper said. Webb adviser Steve Jarding said Allen, who has no wartime experience, isn't qualified to comment on Webb's novels, the Post reported.

To contact the reporter on this story: Miles Weiss in Washington DC at mweiss@bloomberg.net .



George Allen will tell you (Catzmaw - 10/28/2006 5:25:37 PM)
that picture doesn't begin to compete with the one of the big cattle stampede they had at the dude ranch that summer. 


I posted some additional information about this on Gen. Wes Clark's blog: (Mitch Dworkin - 10/28/2006 4:26:34 PM)
http://securingameri...

DNC AUDIO & TRANSCRIPT: Jim Webb Delivers Democratic Radio Address



The Radio Address Was Strong But (Catzmaw - 10/28/2006 4:49:15 PM)
I'd also like to see a response to Bush's "taxes'll gitcha" scaremongering address, which consisted mostly of saying the first thing the Dems will do in power will be to repeal the child credit, resulting in an increase in taxes of $500 per child.  He then spent most of the rest of the address doing the math.  Favorite quote?  "Next time you're at dinner with your family count your children and multiply each of them by $500.  If you have two children it's $1000 per family.  If you have 4 it's $2000 ..."  Well, you get the picture.  I was so proud of Dubya for being able to do simple multiplication.

As for Webb's address, I think he's advanced light years as a public speaker. 



This shows the stature Jim Webb has now . . . (demnan - 10/28/2006 5:21:03 PM)
both in the Democratic party and the national dialogue on Iraq.  This is beeeautiful!


Hoo-Ray! (LAS - 10/28/2006 6:21:02 PM)
That was just amazing. Strength and vision and gravitas. Webb has it all.

And did you guys notice from the Bloomberg article:

"Allen's aides have been trying to persuade media outlets to report on sex scenes included in Webb's books..."

Yes, it looks like the press isn't too impressed with Allen's pathetic actions, either.

Go, Jim, go!



Holy Crap Man....that was awesome (bladerunner - 10/28/2006 8:39:15 PM)
After listening to Jim Webb today, he should be running for president in 2008. This guy has got the MO factor. I hope Virginians can here the Dem response he did. If I was at war, I'd be in a foxhall with him anyday. March on Jim!!!


My wife said after she heard it (PM - 10/28/2006 9:53:23 PM)
that she wished every Virginian could listen to it

Jim should do a two minute buy and give a shortened version of it

But instead of the goofy settings Allen used Jim should be sitting in an American Legion hall someplace with a bunch of oldtimers



I saw the looks in the eyes of the (Catzmaw - 10/29/2006 2:42:58 AM)
vets at the rally, and I could tell those guys were going to follow this man anywhere.  He exudes authenticity and leadership.  Can't buy that kind of reaction.  Either you've got it or you don't.  The American Legion hall idea is terrific.


If I only had a spare million hanging around (PM - 10/29/2006 9:19:48 AM)
I'd produce the ad