If the Good Lord gave me one wish for this
election year it would be that Jim Webb be
elected to the United States Senate, that the
Democratic Party have more leaders like him,
that the neoconservatives enchanted by the
idea of new wars they send others to fight
would read his books, and that the liberal
blogs would do far more to reach out to
military families and military communities.
For those who wonder, this post will be read
by some high level Democratic Leaders in
Washington and by many in military families.
This is written for them and for security moms, soccer moms, political
independents and others honorably trying to do the right thing in the
upcoming election, who find themselves swarmed by television ads of
venom, hate
and slander that do not address the things
they care about most deeply.
Because the smear attack against Jim Webb
is aimed at women by those who never served
in our military, by those who not have their daughters or sons wearing
our uniform in the line of fire, I would offer the following thought:
Every Mom, every Dad, should have great
faith that Jim Webb will protect their sons
and daughters when the next decision about
whether to wage war is made in Washington,
as he would have, far better than almost any
Democrat or Republican, when the last
decision was made, had he been in the
Senate at that time, and warned against
this war in Iraq even before it began.
Jim Webb has received extraordinary praise
even from his opponents for his extraordinary
heroism leading those under his command
in the United States Marine Corps in Vietnam.
Like most true American heroes, Jim Webb
does not praise himself for being awarded
medals and honors for bravery and valor in service that would make every
American
proud of him.
Jim Webb has served brilliantly at a high level
in the Department of Defense and as Secretary
of the Navy, and within hours of his election
and swearing in, would be one of the most
respected, wise and influential members of
the Senate.
Moms and Dads would be well served with Jim
Webb in the room when the decisions of war
are being made. Their sons and daughters in
uniform would be well served with Jim Webb
in the room when the next Congress, awash
in pork barrel spending and campaign money
from lobbyists, makes the big decisions about
whether to give our troops body armor, fair
pay and better health care.
And now, the Jim Webb books. Given the
opportunity the cheap shot artists of the
Republican Congress would find every way
to demean anything. Given the opportunity
the Democratic consultants would find some
way to make tons of money for themselves,
using the occasion to make more new negative
television ads. Given the opportunity, our
Democratic Leaders would seek some poll
tested, focus grouped, slogans that would
miss an opportunity to speak to the heart
of the matter, and say something important
and memorable that addresses the deep
concerns in the hearts of the American people.
JIm Webb's writings have been praised by
John McCain, and by the Commandant of
the United States Marine Corps, who has
recommended Webb's words to our young
troops, risking their lives in service.
In my opinion, the truth is, Jim Webb's writings
about Vietnam are almost as important as the
medals he was awarded in war, and the service he gave to our military in
government.
Jim Webb returned from Vietnam determined
to tell his story, his way, and to the tell the
story of the Corps, of the miitary, of the men
and women who stood with him in the face
of real bullets and real bombs in a real war
in Vietnam, in which our government did our
troops little service, in which our goverment
told our people little truth, in which brave men
and women died in large measure because
of failures in Washington.
Sound familiar?
Jim Webb returned from Vietnam with a
passion and eloquence for truth about war,
with an intense drive to let the broader world
at home know the way it really was.
Jim Webb returned from Vietnam with a determination and passion to tell
the story of the heroism of those who fought those battles, those with
names that now rest proudly on that Wall within sight of the White
House, those
who pay a price with trauma that continues today and those who live on
grates as our homeless heroes, neglected by a society that does not give
enough of a damn, considering how much they gave us, and how high a
price they paid.
Jim Webb's writings about Vietnam are brave,
hard, true, inspiring, depressing, outraging,
lifting, eloquent, sad, disgusting, courageous,
noble, brilliant, sickening, educating, ugly and
honorable because they speak truth to power.
They speak truth to the powerless. They speak truth of war. They speak
truth to our troops and about our troops. Above all, they speak truth
to us and about us, when we send our sons and our daughters to war, but
do not do our duty at home.
Every American should find their way to that
Wall in Washington and salute every one of
them. If you visit the Wall during the Christmas
Season there will be boxes where you can write
them your notes, send them your prayers, give
them your cards, as though they will actually
read them, which in some unfathomable way
I believe they will.
Every American, pro and con the war in Iraq,
should fully appreciate the magnitude of bravery and heroism of those
who serve in Iraq, and fully appreciate the magnitude of our obligation
to them and whether our country
should allow a war where 1% bears all the
burden and 99% stands mostly on the side.
Jim Webb writes truth, and we need more truth
in American politics today.
To George W. Bush and George Allen, if you dont like Jim Webb's books
that means you dont like the reality of war, and perhaps should you
think a little bit harder the next time you seek wars, which others will
fight.
To moms and dads, sons and daughters, if
you cringe at some of the words he writes,
those words are hard, those words are true,
and those words are aimed with a passion
and conviction, with a character and honor,
aimed at preventing others from paying the
price caused by those who pretend war is
easy, and send others to die in wars they
know little about.
We live in a world of sanitized war, where
our war looks ugly on screen, but we at home
do not come close to fully appreciating the ugly brutality of what war
really is, compared to what
our men and women in uniform see every hour,
of every day.
We live in a world where our President
is reluctant be publicly seen at military
funerals, because his numbers may go
down in the polls, and our opposition after
four hard years is barely coherent about
the war that defines our times.
We live in a world with troops who are among
the greatest heroes who ever walked our land
while our politicians lack the moral integrity
and honor to even supply them what they need,
while they dine with lobbyists and promise tax
cuts, our people listen to IPOD's and speculate
about housing bubbles, while our troops give their lives and lose their
limbs for wars we send them to fight between our episodes of celebrity
dance. and haughty pundits blowing insider wind on shallow television,
between negative attack ads, produced by millionaire consultants.
Before this war was ever waged, while our
reporters dined in fancy restaurants and
published spoon fed fraud from partisans and
ideologues, Jim Webb warned us, and said
no. This is wrong. This will be disaster.
Before this war was ever waged, when the
vision of wedge politics war was a gleam in
Karl Rove's eyes, Jim Webb said no, this is
wrong. This will be disaster.
Before this war was ever waged, when the
Democratic insiders in Washington held their
fundraisers for Democratic leaders in fancy
houses in Georgetown, and told them to hedge
their bets and support this war, Jim Webb said no. This is wrong. This
will be disaster.
To moms and dads, sons and daughters, grandmas and grandpas, concerned
about the men and women who serve so bravely, I dont make many promises
about politicians but I will promise you this:
From the moment that Jim Webb first walks
the Floor of the United States Senate:
There will be a man of courage and conviction
speaking with a voice of clarity and experience
who knows what wars should be avoided, when
wars should be pursued, how wars should be
fought and what policies will best manage a
successful exit.
There will be a man who knows what war really
is, who will fight like a Lion to get our troops
every single thing they need to survive and
prevail. Jim Webb will fight like a Lion because
this is in his heart, in his soul, in his character, in his spirit on
behalf of his son who serves in Iraq today. On behalf of the son and
daughter of every Mom and Dad. On behalf of his friends and his
memories, and his respect
and his honor, for all who fought with him in Vietnam.
There will be a man who has stood with his
band of brothers and sisters in the crucible
of combat, who will fight like a warrior for better
heath care and benefits for our troops and
our vets, and who fight like a warrior against
anyone who tries to charge heroic troops
Mafia-like interest rates more worthy of the
The Godfather than those who sing God Bless
America.
I have seen many of these guys come and
go over many years in this Capital of our
country which is not what it once was, and
not what it can be, and I can only say this:
I would march behind this guy into a hellfire
of bullets or hearings in the Halls of Congress,
and would urge everyone who reads these
words to go to Jim Webb for Senate, and put
this good, honorable, brave, courageous and
wise man into a government that desperately
needs men and women of his character, knowledge, integrity and strength.