Outstanding: Jim Webb Is The Real Straight Talk Express of the Senate

First George W. Bush is rude to him, then an unnamed Democratic staff person tells the Washington Post that Webb will "be a real pain", now Webb has hurt the feelings of Mr. George Will on the always-prescient editorial page of the Washington Post.

Outstanding.

Jim Webb will be a spectacular United States Senator and stories will appear by March that he is one of the more influential United States Senators.

I would recommend interested parties read Jim Webb's important novels about Vietnam, and check out The Song Of The Nightingale, a book about several Naval Academy graduates including McCain, Poindexter, Ollie North and Jim Webb.

I give John McCain, Jim Webb and both of their sons enormous credit for their military service and it would a better world if every Senator had a son or daughter in Iraq. In fact it would be a better world if every writer and editor of the Washington Post editorial page had a son or daughter in Iraq, as well.

The difference between McCain and Webb is this: McCain is far more the maneuverer, who positions himself for advantage. He had his schtick in 2000, now his schtick for 2008 is different. Jim Webb is the real deal, straight talk, no bull express. What McCain looked like in 2000, Webb is, and will remain.

Can't say whether McCain will be Bush's pal, Falwell's pal, or Hagel's pal by 2008 but I will promise you this: Webb will be Webb, and God bless him for that.

This strange interlude at the White House, when Bush asked Webb about his son in Iraq, Webb said he wants to bring the troops home, and Bush barked: "I didn't ask you that" says a lot about Bush and Webb.

Jim Webb has vast and enormous experience in military combat and military policy over the decades. Why on earth didn't Bush pull him aside and ask his private counsel? Not only does Webb know far more than Bush about real wars and not only does Webb have an infinitely better record than Bush being right about this war, but Webb probably could have given some serious insight about what his son tells him from the ground.

But the Decider has already Decided.

My guess is, what JFK would have done, is invite Webb to the Oval Office, and while they were sitting in the Oval Office would have called the son in real time and asked: what the hell is going on over there? What do you think we should do?

But just like McCain is no Webb, Bush is no JFK.

A word to the anonymous Democratic staff who said Webb would be "a real pain". Cool it, pal. What the Senate needs are people like Webb who tell it straight, call it true, go against the grain and are willing to violate the code of what most Americans think is Sodom and Gomorrah on the Potomac.

The Senate could have used Jim Webb when the Iraq war was debated in 2002.

A word about Mr. Will. His most famous words in his distinguished career occurred when Ronald Reagan was meeting with Gorbachev, and Will attacked Reagan and essentially compared Reagan to Neville Chamberlain, for negotiating with Soviets. Not the most brilliant columnist call in the history of opining from the cheap seats.

Jim Webb is going to be outstanding, brilliant, spectacular, a sensational addition to the U.S. Senate. He charged into combat with bullets flying in his face, and emerged with medals on his chest. He knows how to win wars, when to fight wars, how to avoid wars, and why war is not made for cocktail party warriors or editorial board tea parties.

War is hard. War is dirty. War is ugly. War is hell. War is death. War is destruction. War is sometimes needed, and when we fight, we we fight to win, and we do it right. But Jim Webb knows from the hard experience of real blood, and real death, in real war, in real time, that when we can accomplish our goals without war, we should.

Jim Webb will bring to the Senate a blood and guts honor, a straight talk respect for truth, and a prizefighters left hook when it is time to fight for the troops, and time to fight for the truth.

Jim Webb is the real deal straight talk express, no bull dished, no spin doctored, no punches pulled. Jim Webb cares deeply, fights like hell for what he believes, knows what he is talking about, stands up for his brothers and sisters in combat, plays to win, fights with honor, and is an American patriot of the first order of magnitude.

He will be spectacular in the Senate.