My Conversation with Jim Webb

Earlier today, I spoke with Virginia Senator Jim Webb about the G.I. Bill now making its way through Congress and his plan to offer new educational opportunities to veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I specifically asked Senator Webb about the opposition to the bill from President Bush and a fellow Vietnam vet and Senate colleague, John McCain.

The full conversation airs tonight on PBS.

Comments

[reggieb]

obama/webb

[rextrek]

..and still you have nit-wits backing McCain...I­F for some reason Americans are STUPID enough to vote McCain - then America DESERVES EVERY BAD THING THAT COMES IT'S WAY!

[dadw5boys]

Iraq wants the USA to leave.

So if you vote for Mc Cain your voting for body bags.

Your voting to overthrow the Iraqi Government!

Your voting against Democracy for the Iraqi People.

[gage]

I'm afraid you have it backwards. We are there under an authorization by the UN, and at the request of the Iraq government. The Iraqi people and government want our troops to leave, but NOT until the Iraq Army and Police are self-sufficient. If we leave too soon, the various AQ groups, Iranian backed militias, criminal gangs, etc., will succeed in their goal of overthrowing the democratically elected government.

[scandinavian]

too bad everything america does and goes through affects the rest of the world too. america is too great to be lead by idiots and criminals. so after this dark period of american history i sure hope the critical mass has become large enough to get a democrat in the white house with a clear margin of victory that cannot be overruled!

[Stirner]

I'm a Korean War vet. You might recall that bloody U.N. "Police Action" of the 50s? After that stupid affair ended, they introduced the K-550 Bill which allowed me to finish college. The education meant and still means a lot to me. Why would the Republicans (neoconned) reject this sort of thing? The reason seems to be in accord with the "soft fascism" now in effect -- to keep the American people as stupid as they can be kept so that the fat-cat Ivy League cub-scouts and their AIPAC pals can continue the manipulate the media and continue to have themselves in positions of power. War for fun and profit! Cowards all.

[dadw5boys]

Americans are so lazy they have allowed their Repersenatives to pass laws that limit their freedoms.

Americans live in a SELF IMPOSED STATE OF MARTIAL LAW.

[theBooHooBand]

Looked at from the correct perspective it becomes clear why Bush and his partners will not spend money on the Armed Forces: the aim is to privatize war. For every GI in Iraq there is AT LEAST one MERCENARY and 1 or 2 non-government support personnel. This war has been INCREDIBLY profitable for those companies who provide the out-sourced services. Blackwater is one of the better known thanks to Jeremy Scahill and others who realize the direction the neo-cons wish to move toward: Wars fought by private armies whose loyalty is to the corporation paying their wages rather than to a government or country.

Therefore, the more difficult it becomes for the United States to field an army, the better it is for the private armies. Even Barack Obama has not categorically affirmed that when the US troops leave Iraq the private military will, too. He knows it is no longer possible to have ANY presence in Iraq without the use of mercenaries. Yes, it has come to that point. This is not something Obama favors; it is simply the reality of the situation Bush and the neo-cons have created.

[panchovilla]

Webbs may not like to politicize the debate on the benefits for vets, but that's a political debate. There are those in favor of providing more benefits to veterans and those opposed to those benefits, because they prefer to provide benefits to special interests alone at the expense of everybody else. Simple as that. The latter tend to congregate in the Republican Party, although there's also a fair amount of them in the Democratic Party. So, this is an essential political issue. We progressives need to take over the Democratic Party, get rid of those who want to subordinate the Democratic Party to the interests of the few, at the same time as we fight the Republican Party and its regressive agenda.

[dbrog]

Where are all of those patriots with the little support the troops magnets on their vehicles? Why aren't they writting and calling their president, their congressman, their newspaper urging support for this bill? It could be that it's easy to slap a three dollar sticker from Walmart on your vehicle and pretend to be a patriot. It takes a little more effort to really support the troops or even to have a clue what kind of hardships they are going through. These phony patriots should be raising "Holy Hell".

[TN60]

They are too busy pinning their American flags on their phoney lapels . After all, except for about three in Congress, it's not their kids dying !

[yankee452]

It remains stunningly inconceivable to me how anyone would vote against doing what is simply the right thing to do for the boys and girls who are getting shot at everyday.

JAIL HIM!!!!!