Webb's Disappointing Rebuttal

(based upon official released text)

Obviously unable to control themselves on even a purely ceremonial night, the Democrat Party, having recently secured but a slim Congressional majority, opted to breeze through any areas for potential common ground in three short introductory paragraphs via spokesperson Jim Webb, so as to get immediately to points of contention between the two parties. If the Bush administration is looking for compromise, they'd be wise to read that sign.

As for those points of contention:

There are two areas where our respective parties have largely stood in contradiction, and I want to take a few minutes to address them tonight. The first relates to how we see the health of our economy – how we measure it, and how we ensure that its benefits are properly shared among all Americans. The second regards our foreign policy – how we might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world.

When one looks at the health of our economy, it’s almost as if we are living in two different countries. Some say that things have never been better. The stock market is at an all-time high, and so are corporate profits. But these benefits are not being fairly shared. When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times what the average worker did; today, it’s nearly 400 times. In other words, it takes the average worker more than a year to make the money that his or her boss makes in one day.

At a time when most reasonable experts conclude today's economy is an extremely positive tribute to the fiscal policy of the Bush presidency, a Democrat Party more interested in wealth distribution and entitlements can't bring itself to see it that way.

I'll link as oppose to address mostly the same populist rhetoric we've been hearing from Democrats for years. As usual, they seek only to divide America by class, instead of celebrating an America of free enterprise that encourages and allows even the poorest among us to elevate themselves and accumulate wealth as a result of their work.

They remain the party which seeks to cultivate a society of average people, as opposed to nurturing what's best in each and every American by urging them forward in working for their dreams, financial and otherwise. In the world view of today's Democrats, apparently no one can succeed without government help. That concept flies directly in the face of most everything that has made America great, through its appreciation for rugged independence and every individual's unique efforts and strengths.

And of course at a time when we have so many in harms way, with more to follow under the direction of the rightfully elected Commander-in-Chief, naturally Webb and the Democrats would have to bring up Iraq.

At a time when we face a global threat from radical Islam and our last best hope is likely seeding much needed reforms through freedom and democracy within the Middle-East, even while acknowledging a far greater sacrifice of his Father's generation when his country called, Democrat Webb's message to the America of today is, the best we can do is cut and run and pretend that unreasonable and deadly enemies fully dedicated to our destruction can be negotiated with just as Chamberlain negotiated with Hitler before half of Europe was gone.

Webb's rebuttal only served to make the obvious even more clear. Anyone looking to the Democrat Party of today for genuine leadership and the valuable inspiration required to wage a difficult generational war would be well advised to look somewhere else.

I want to share with all of you a picture that I have carried with me for more than 50 years. This is my father, when he was a young Air Force captain, flying cargo planes during the Berlin Airlift. He sent us the picture from Germany, as we waited for him, back here at home. When I was a small boy, I used to take the picture to bed with me every night, because for more than three years my father was deployed, unable to live with us full-time, serving overseas or in bases where there was no family housing. I still keep it, to remind me of the sacrifices that my mother and others had to make, over and over again, as my father gladly served our country. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as a Marine in Vietnam. My brother did as well, serving as a Marine helicopter pilot. My son has joined the tradition, now serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq....

The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed.

The war’s costs to our nation have been staggering. Financially. The damage to our reputation around the world. The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism. And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.

The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq’s cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq. 

Comments

[sglover]

Charlie, you and I both know that your (eminently fair) question is going to get answered by a whine about how unfair and uncivil you are.

[Dan Riehl]

Dan, what is your military record?

Tell you what, Charlie. Start hear and go back abd read the comments to every post and you'll find it. I'm tired of reiterating it every time one of you sorry-assed chicken hawk slinging punks come along. And when you find it, come back and answer all the questions I asked of the critics, too.

Otherwise, STFU and move on.

[sglover]

"Tell you what, Charlie. Start hear and go back abd read the comments to every post and you'll find it. I'm tired of reiterating it every time one of you sorry-assed chicken hawk slinging punks come along. And when you find it, come back and answer all the questions I asked of the critics, too."

In other words, you ARE a chickenhawk. AND a lickspittle. And you get defensive when people call you out. It's no wonder that you have to go after a guy like a Webb, and others like him. They are your betters, and you must tear them down.

You are a very little man.

[diana]

Dave,

Why don't you answer the question I posed to you on Highclearing, where you dropped in for a hit and run?

Coward.

[owlbear1]

"...the Democrat Party, having recently secured but a slim Congressional majority, opted to breeze through any areas for potential common ground..."
====================================================
Do unto others as you would have done unto you. George really should have listened to that 6 years ago.
You to Danny boy...

Remember the days of "Permanent Republican Control"?
"You're either with me or against me."

Danny, please STOP squealing "NOT IN THE FACE!"

[charlie]

dan
I looked back at the posts. I didn't see the iteration. I didn't see the reiteration.
horselover
You want bonus points for being a "brown person". Stop playing the race card.

[The Other Steve]

What a title... "Webb's disappointing rebuttal".

Let's run that throught the Spinmaster 9000 and find out what you really meant to say.

ticka ticka ticka tick tocka tocka tocka tocka ticka ticka personal projection detected ticka ticka ticka ticka

Answer: "Webb scares the shit out of me"

If it was truly disappointing, and not worthy you would have ignored it. the fact that you choose to attack it instead shows you are afraid. How do I know?

Because that's how cowards behave.

[Zifnab]

Don't be too mean to Dan. You know how his thin skin can't take the verbal lashings of blogistan. If only he'd posted this on Red State, he could exist in the echo-chamber and get a hearty pat-on-the-back for his valient keyboarding skills.

Seriously, though. Maybe 'Pubs should win more elections and lose less criminal inditements before they start telling the rest of America what to think.

[prozacula]

once again

RIEHL STUPID.

will your whining never cease?

waaah! Jim Webb was rude to MY DEAR LEADER! WAAAAH!

An actual military man who knows what he is talking about rebutted a whiny, coddled little rich boy who never finished his commitment to the guard, and a fat baby-eating corporate welfare bastard who got six deferments for vietnam! WAAAH!

you and all the rest of you armchair warmongers love the idea of risking other people's lives for your failed experiments, and when one of the actual people with actual risks in this fight (the man's son is there because of your stupid ideas) stands up and speaks truth to you, you can't stand it.

before you attempt to impugn the dignity and honor of Webb, perhaps you should garner some for yourselves.

[joe]

Hey dan. I have a proposition:

Stop calling the Democratic Party the Democrat party and we will cease in calling you wingnutdouchebagfuckstickbushcocklickers.

What do ya say?

[joe]

25 million Iraqis liberated from a murderous regime that killed them by the hundreds of thousands, nope, no achievement here.

Idiotic rant by another white liberal trust fund baby, MISSION ACOMPLISHED!

Posted by: Horselover Fat | Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 02:39 PM

655,000 dead. Mission Accomplished.

Anything else?

Didn't think so.

[Officious Pedant]

Well,

This conversation has deteriorated a bit, hasn't it? I like picking on Captain Irrelevant as much as the next person, but I wanted to ask a question of anyone in favor of staying in Iraq. If we pull out of Iraq, leaving the the Iraqis to their own devices (not actually the plan, but I don't mind working with the ignorant), that will be bad, right? So, explain to me how having troops there in insufficient numbers to control the vioence, and trapped between the opposing sides,makes it better.

And, for the record, if you insist that this war is critical to our nation in particular, and Western Civilization in general, but oppose rationing, taxation, the draft, or going yourselves in order to support it, then you are, by definition, a chickenhawk. That aside from the attacks on actual fighting men (your betters) who have come to disagreee with you, or against whom you seek to revise history to dismiss them.

Wait, I'm sorry. That isn't what I meant. I meant that makes you a yellow bellied, urine stained, punk bitch, whiny ass mamas boy, who gets off on other people dying to give him a "win". There, that's better.

[tk46]

Dan,

I have a commander-in-chief. You do not.