Webb Blasts McCain; Accuses Fellow Vet Of "Impugning People's Patriotism"
April 13 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic Senator James Webb accused Republican John McCain of questioning the patriotism of those who disagree with him on Iraq and "hiding behind the troops as political justification" for a misguided policy."I think that John McCain has been impugning people's patriotism and I really regret that he is doing that," Webb, of Virginia, said on Bloomberg Television's "Political Capital with Al Hunt," scheduled to air today. "I'm very disappointed in him."
Webb appears to be reacting to some remarks McCain made during his big Iraq speech, in which he opined that "in Iraq, only our enemies were cheering" when the House Dems passed their Iraq supplemental bill mandating withdrawal.
Even better, Webb goes on to accuse McCain of breaking a personal appeal he says McCain made to him some time ago:
In the television interview, Webb said McCain had approached him on the Senate floor and said lawmakers should avoid the type of personal attacks that occurred during congressional debates about the Vietnam War 30 years ago.Since that conversation, Webb said McCain has been "consistently" attacking those who disagree with him about the war.
"I don't believe it is in anybody's interest for members of the Senate to be impugning the other side's patriotism or, by the way, hiding behind the troops as political justification for what we are doing," said Webb, a former U.S. Marine.
Leave it to Webb. It'll be interesting to see how the McCain camp handles this one.
Boy is it great to see Democrats giving as good as they get!
April 13, 2007 5:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
McCain's credibility has gone downhill pretty fast. Straight Talk is now Winding Talk. Pretty sad.
April 13, 2007 5:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's nice to have someone like Webb saying this. It doesn't mean nearly as much when Obama, Edwards or Clinton do--they don't have the genuine cred that Webb does.
April 13, 2007 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's good to hear SOMETHING, but Webb's comments hardly constitute the Dems "giving as good as they get."
I would have preferred to read this:
"Sen. Webb said today that al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq and elsewhere 'cheered when they heard that Bush was sending more American troops into the Islamist meatgrinder.' He further stated that Bush had done more than any al Qaeda attack could ever have done to weaken America both at home and abroad.
As for supporting the troops, Sen. Webb said, 'Here we have a president who's sent men into battle poorly trained and under-armored, who has cut their combat pay, unilaterally and repeatedly extended their tours of duty just as they were about to come home, sent them back on two, three, and more combat tours, underfunded their health care when they returned home hurt and disabled...and HE is saying that the people who want to bring them home safe and soon aren't supporting them? What planet is he on?'"
Note to Dems: Grow a pair!
April 13, 2007 7:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Remarkable understatement, friend.
John McCain has been plumbing the depths in all kinds of ways.
I really wish Webb were running for president but we're not doing badly - except for Hillary.
Best, Terry
April 13, 2007 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree to some extent, Tom, but OTOH this is the first time I can recall any elected Dem calling out a Rep on hiding behind the troops to make a political point. It's about damn time.
April 13, 2007 7:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Go Webb! As Pelosi likes to say, there's a new Congress in town, and we're not going to take it lying down anymore.
April 13, 2007 11:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney, McCain and their ilk are trying to exorcise their personal demons left over from Vietnam. I'm sure this has been Rove's plan for a long time. Make Iraq a rerun of Vietnam, of Afghanistan, of every US foreign policy failure.
Look at Cheney's speech in Chicago yesterday. He claims if we leave Iraq it'll be like Afghanistan
after the Soviets left. The USSR spent 10 years trying to subjugate Afghanistan. Does he propose we spend 10 years in Iraq? If we do what makes him think the outcome will be any different than the Soviet efforts in Afghanistan?
April 14, 2007 9:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
I know what you mean. Webb is a good person to call out McCain on his fearmongering. I have been outraged about how often the Repubs have gotten away with this kind of stuff over the past six years. It would be nice if the MSM called the Repubs on their repeated use of this tactic.
OTOH, I think it is sad that even those on the Dem side think it requires someone like Webb, who served in the Reagan administration, in order for the Dems to have credibility on foreign policy. I look forward to the day that anyone who served in the Bush Administration's credibility is automatically suspect. Imagine a day when the Repubs have to find a former Democrat to have credibility on foreign policy.
April 14, 2007 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about making that "someone like Webb who served." Period.
Foreign policy has many aspects but presumably you mean solely the Iraq War and by some vague extension terror. Afghanistan is mostly forgotten these days but is slipping away as well.
Dubya was given a pass on draft dodging while Kerry was hammered for his service. It is my contention that service has become an anchor for a candidate. How can you possibly top the defeat of Max Cleland for being insufficiently patriotic by a chicken hawk? And then later there was the contemptuous treatment of Cleland by Duya.
Mostly it is Webb I think. The man really knows how to conduct a war unlike the Republicans.
Best, Terry
April 14, 2007 4:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
It was a good comment, but McCain is trailing badly in the polls to Giuliani, so what good does it do to beat up on someone who's already taken himself out of the race--almost?
Who's taking on Giuliani? Shouldn't he be of greater interest?
April 14, 2007 7:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
. . . it is only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated ... that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation. (from a letter written by William Tecumseh Sherman in May 1865).
Old men who've fought in wars in their youth keep us out of them -- Washington, Jackson, Grant, Eisenhower -- even TR. (Is McKinley the exception that proves the rule?)
But when the blood is up and the country wants war, they don't get elected.
April 14, 2007 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
SeeDee
Terry,
We've seen this phenom time and time again since 'Nam...Kerry v. Bush, Cleland v. Chambliss (or whoever), Roberts v. Pope (in Oklahoma), et al.
The only answer is that there are a majority of American male voters who have evaded or avoided combat service from circa 1970 to the present who identify with the 'chickenhawks'. They simply do not like to face the fact that in their earlier lives, they, too, did the same things Dubya, Dick and others did to avoid serving in a useless war.
And thre are plenty of those now who rah-rah for the 'brave troops' who do not want within 8,000-miles of any battle, and they do not want their flesh and blood there, either.
Only Webb's bona fide valor coupled with the voters' recently found realization that combat service DOES, indeed, count for something worked favorably for Webb against Allen.
And, except for the added minus generated for Allen from his 'macaca' remark, I doubt that voters would have chosen a war hero over a 'heel', again. (I'm glad they did.)
April 15, 2007 9:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
SeeDee
markg8:
When Cheney looks at Iraq all he sees is the third-largest petroleum reserves in the world, Halliburton, Inc. HQ in Kuwait, and daily profits from 3-millions barrels of oil production...And he further sees his and the oil industry's exploitation of these profits guarded by 150,000 American troops or more, if need be, for the next three decades.
If a few thousand of them are killed by the resentful Iraqis, it won't bother him in the least...he is void of any concern for the 'troops'.
April 15, 2007 9:12 PM | Reply | Permalink