If you watched the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night, you probably heard the closing comment by my father, Jim Webb. Without hesitation he answered that the enemy he was ‘most proud of’ was the Vietnamese soldier who wounded him with a hand grenade. He then added that “…he isn’t around anymore.”
While there were those in the media and around the country who were a bit stunned, and perhaps even put off by this answer, my fellow veterans and I were not. If anything, his blunt (and perhaps a bit brutal) honesty was much appreciated, and further endeared him to us as a candidate. We veterans are also more likely to have a fuller picture of my father’s record. He’s the man who gave us the post-9/11 GI Bill. We also know him as a highly decorated combat veteran who earned the Navy Cross for the entire episode surrounding that grenade, not just the snippet that has been focused on.
As a Marine infantryman myself, I have experienced the complex emotions of combat. On the one hand you may not even see the face of an individual who fires a round so close to your head that your ears ring, or blows up the improvised explosive device next to your vehicle that potentially kills or maims your friends. On the other, there’s an intensely personal reaction. After all, this isn’t a person who is besting you in a debate about gun control, or some other social policy, over a beer. This is a person whose intent is to end your life, and that is as clear cut an enemy as you can think of. Additionally, many, if not most, of the veterans I have talked to have read the Navy Cross citation that chronicles the incident surrounding my father. For those unfamiliar, it states:
Read more in the WaPo op-ed
My God.
I just finished reading his writings back to 1976.
Why are the Democrats even thinking about Clinton and Saunders when this man is running?
This man has a consistent 40 YEAR track record of making sense.
While I don’t agree with everything that he says, his writings give a clear, unchanging view of who he is and what, exactly he believes.
If it weren’t for the excess baggage (the entire Dem party) that he would bring to the Presidency, I would vote for him.
Again, why are the Democrats pushing the two words-fail-me when they have Jim Webb to offer?
@Petercat:
I agree
@Petercat: Question:
Answer:
Making sense flies in the face of the modern Democrat party. Relying on common sense disqualify most of what the left wants to do; continue the same failed gun control policies that has gotten thousands murdered in cities all across the nation, making the same failure of socialism the economic and political system of the U.S.; swamp the nation with illegal immigrants that will mostly wind up on government subsidy; flooding our health care system with non-paying leeches or any of the many other failed social engineering projects.
Look at how the left believes the police should act towards violent criminals; there was an audible gasp when Webb described the encounter with the enemy that was trying to kill him. No doubt, this Vietnamese was gentle, kind and just about to go back to school.
Webb has nothing to offer these Democrats and they certainly want nothing from a guy like him.
The modern dem party is comprised of a bunch of leftists. Webb doesn’t fit it in. There was a time when those like him would represent a faction of their party. Not anymore. To them he is a right wing extremist. None of the other dem candidates come close to matching his experience or his sense. He is in the wrong party and would do better to run as an independent. A fellow Vet, Tulsi Gabbard, was disinvited from the debates because she dared to criticize the Party for not having enough debates.
The Party wants Hillary and are doing everything they can do to shield her. Some of their debates are scheduled for the weekend opposite College and Professional Football which ensures low viewership. The left and their party are all about controlling people- Obamacare, man made global warming, gun control, the Fairness Doctrine, high taxes, wealth re-distribution, political correctness etc. etc. are all about control. At least the Republicans let it all hang out and weren’t afraid to expose all of their candidates to the public so they can make an informed decision when the time comes.
http://khon2.com/2015/10/12/hawaii-congresswoman-explains-why-she-was-disinvited-from-democratic-debate/
@Bill: It is clear that those that are aghast at Webb killing the enemy are his fellow Dimocrats. Republicans would understand his actions. I can’t understand how Webb became affiliated with the Dimocrat party, he seems to have nothing in common with them. It might have been that he wanted an office and it happened to be held by a Repub so he had to run as a Dim.
His rating with the Dims will stay in the ‘below 1% category”. Not only is he not really a Dimocrat, the Dimocrats are not him either. He will never get anything from the Dims.