Webb doesn't roll over for Bush

[smurphy]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061129/ap_on_go_co/webb_bush

By BOB LEWIS, Associated Press Writer
Wed Nov 29, 6:11 PM ET

RICHMOND, Va. - Democratic Sen.-elect Jim Webb avoided the receiving line during a recent White House reception for new members of Congress and had a chilly exchange with President Bush over the Iraq war and his Marine son.

"How's your boy?" Webb, in an interview Wednesday, recalled Bush asking during the reception two weeks ago.

"I told him I'd like to get them out of Iraq," Webb said.

"That's not what I asked. How's your boy?" the president replied, according to Webb.

At that point, Webb said, Bush got a response similar to what reporters and others who had asked Webb about Lance Cpl. Jimmy Webb, 24, have received since the young man left for Iraq around Labor Day: "I told him that was between my boy and me."

Webb, a leading critic of the Iraq war, said that he had avoided the receiving line and photo op with Bush, but that the president found him.

The White House had no comment on the reception. But it did not dispute an account of the exchange in Wednesday's Washington Post.

Webb, a Marine veteran of the Vietnam War and Navy secretary under President Reagan, defeated Republican Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) by 9,329 votes out of 2.37 million cast, giving the Democrats control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1994.

Webb left the GOP, in part over the Iraq war. He warned against the invasion, and criticized Bush over Iraq during the Senate campaign.

He said he meant no disrespect to the presidency during the reception, but "I've always made a distinction about not speaking personally about my son."

In interviews during the campaign, Webb said it was wrong to elevate the role of one Marine over others. Webb also expressed concern that a high profile could subject a Marine to greater peril.

He wore his son's buff-colored desert boots throughout the campaign, but refused to speak extensively about his son's service or allow it to be used in campaign ads.

 

[The Sponge]

"Hows your boy". Its like a joke to these thieving assholes. Just like what one mother said who's child died in Iraq "all this death and destruction doesn't even seem to faze this man" This was after her one on one meeting with this jerkoff. Good to see he finally at least got to vietnam tho. Give him some credit for that.

 

[gardenweasel]

the guy`s a class act.....a nice example of leadership....

 

[djv]

Who! Webb? No Webb is one tough SOB. And backed it up. Not I'll hide in Alabama to run a campaign type of guy.

 

[gardenweasel]

if he`d spoken to me face to face like that,i`d have slapped that rug off his head...

 

[smurphy]

if he`d spoken to me face to face like that,i`d have slapped that rug off his head...

Ok, Scott taught me the appropriate response here ....or was it Kosar? Anyway, here it is:

 

[gardenweasel]

hey...forget politics...and our good natured internet ball busting.....i`m talking real life.....

unless i read you completely wrong,you`d do exactly the same.....

war hero?....hero sandwich?....what`s the diff?...i don`t ask somebody`s resume if they spit on me........somebody insults you to your face,the turkey he has strapped to his head has to go....

 

[smurphy]

How did Webb insult Bush exactly? He answered the President the same way he answers everyone regarding his kid in Iraq. Sounds like Webb was consistent. He didn't roll over for Bush and play pretend personal interest games, but wasn't exactly disrespectful either. Isn't that the sort of honesty we want from our leaders? Or does it depend on the party they represent?

Weasel, I assume you also would have slapped that sideways shit-eating grin off Cheney's face if you were Senator Leahy when the VP very eloquently told him to 'fvck himslef" on the Senate floor. ...Yeah? Were you just as angered by that much worse display of manners? Or again, was it OK because of his party?

 

[gardenweasel]

i don`t recall the context of the cheney set-to......what leahy did to elicit that response....


all bush did was ask him how his son was..he was being civil......and he then surely insulted bush.....and unless you`re used to being treated like a smacked ass,you realize it was total disrespect....

you`re being political...just like the fellow with the dead tarantula laying on his cranium was....

 

[gardenweasel]

here...enjoy...

A hip young man goes out and buys the best car available: a brand-new Ferrari 550. It is also
the most expensive car in the world, and it costs him $500,000. He takes it out for a spin and
stops for a red light.

An old man on a moped (about 75 years old) pulls up next to him.

The old man looks over at the sleek, shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya'got there,
sonny?"

The young man replies, "A Ferrari 550. It cost half a million dollars!"

"That's a lot of money, "says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?"

"Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the young dude proudly. The moped
driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?"

"No problem," replies the owner. So the old man pokes his
head in the window and looks around. Then sitting back on
his moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right...but I'll stick with my moped!"

Just then the light changes so the guy decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He
floors it, and within 30 seconds the speedometer reads 160 mph. Suddenly, he notices a dot in
his rear view mirror.

It seems to be getting closer! He slows down to see what it
could be and suddenly, whhhoooossshhh! Something whips by him, going much faster!

"What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?!" the young man asks himself. He floors
the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 mph.

Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old man on the
moped. Amazed that the moped could pass his Ferrari he gives it some more gas and passes
the moped at 275 mph. Whoooooosh! He's feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and
sees the old man gaining on him again.

Astounded by the speed of this old guy, he floors the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the
way up to 320 mph. Not ten seconds later he sees the moped bearing down on him again. The
Ferrari is flat out and there's nothing he can do.

Suddenly the moped plows into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear. The young man
jumps out, and unbelievably, the old man is still alive!

He runs up to the mangled old man and, feeling compassion, says, "Oh my God! Is there
anything I can do for you?"

The old man whispers, "Unhook...my suspenders from your side-view mirror."

 

[smurphy]

What did Webb say that was rude? Did Webb insult Bush? I really don't know where your getting that.

What possible context could Cheney's "go fvk yourself" be considered at all excuseable behaviour from the vp?

But OK, I have you on record as believing Webb was horribly rude and Cheney gets an excuse for context. Sure, makes sense to me.

 

[smurphy]

here...enjoy...

A hip young man goes out and buys the best car available: a brand-new Ferrari 550. It is also
the most expensive car in the world, and it costs him $500,000. He takes it out for a spin and
stops for a red light.

An old man on a moped (about 75 years old) pulls up next to him.

The old man looks over at the sleek, shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya'got there,
sonny?"

The young man replies, "A Ferrari 550. It cost half a million dollars!"

"That's a lot of money, "says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?"

"Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the young dude proudly. The moped
driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?"

"No problem," replies the owner. So the old man pokes his
head in the window and looks around. Then sitting back on
his moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car, all right...but I'll stick with my moped!"

Just then the light changes so the guy decides to show the old man just what his car can do. He
floors it, and within 30 seconds the speedometer reads 160 mph. Suddenly, he notices a dot in
his rear view mirror.

It seems to be getting closer! He slows down to see what it
could be and suddenly, whhhoooossshhh! Something whips by him, going much faster!

"What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?!" the young man asks himself. He floors
the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 mph.

Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old man on the
moped. Amazed that the moped could pass his Ferrari he gives it some more gas and passes
the moped at 275 mph. Whoooooosh! He's feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and
sees the old man gaining on him again.

Astounded by the speed of this old guy, he floors the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the
way up to 320 mph. Not ten seconds later he sees the moped bearing down on him again. The
Ferrari is flat out and there's nothing he can do.

Suddenly the moped plows into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear. The young man
jumps out, and unbelievably, the old man is still alive!

He runs up to the mangled old man and, feeling compassion, says, "Oh my God! Is there
anything I can do for you?"

The old man whispers, "Unhook...my suspenders from your side-view mirror."

looks like your way of getting out of an unwinnable position. well done.

 

[gardenweasel]

powder your nose...read the joke...have a laugh....and get some sleep......:sadwave:

 

[smurphy]

Yep, that's always your way out. Make a joke, say your here just to "lighten the mood" or whatever. It's an old routine. Try and remember, your the one who was offended to begin with. ...By the way, I'm not reading another lame-ass joke.

 

[DOGS THAT BARK]

Was lots of hoopla on that Smurph--I think GW was being sincere about his son and Webb a bit disrespectful--however considering Webb has son in harms way would give Webb a pass on it.

 

[THE KOD]

I think GW was miffed because he took the trouble to know the guy had a boy in Iraq.

A better response might have been.

My boy is fine, how's yours ?

GW - I don't have boys, I have daughters.

Yeh I hope that wasnt too tramatic getting her purse stolen in that Argentina nightclub.

GW. dude, I said hows your boy.

 

[StevieD]

Who cares if the murdering thug was insulted or not. I hope he got his feelings hurt. Geesh!

 

[gardenweasel]

no,smurph.....i was trying to be nice......but,you`ve been acting like a little girl with pms since you`ve been back from "useful idiot in training" camp..... ....a nasty lil` enflamed scrote......

so,o.k.smurphy...i`ll slap you around..

i`ve seen you guys spouting off about your conservative anti-war hero,george will.....

here`s his take on the guy with the dead squirrel stapled to his head....

Already Too Busy for Civility

By George F. Will
Thursday, November 30, 2006; Page A23

""That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator.

Wednesday's Post reported that at a White House reception for newly elected members of Congress, Webb "tried to avoid President Bush," refusing to pass through the reception line or have his picture taken with the president. When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "I'd like to get them [sic] out of Iraq." When the president again asked "How's your boy?" Webb replied, "That's between me and my boy." ....""Webb told The Post"":



"I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall. No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. [But] leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is."

Webb certainly has conveyed what he is: a boor. Never mind the patent disrespect for the presidency. Webb's more gross offense was calculated rudeness toward another human being -- one who, disregarding many hard things Webb had said about him during the campaign, asked a civil and caring question, as one parent to another. When -- if ever -- Webb grows weary of admiring his new grandeur as a "leader" who carefully calibrates the "symbolic things" he does to convey messages, he might consider this: In a republic, people decline to be led by leaders who are insufferably full of themselves.

Even before his studied truculence in response to the president's hospitality, Webb was going out of his way to make waves. A week after the election, he published a column in the Wall Street Journal that began this way:

"The most important -- and unfortunately the least debated -- issue in politics today is our society's steady drift toward a class-based system, the likes of which we have not seen since the 19th century. America's top tier has grown infinitely richer and more removed over the past 25 years. It is not unfair to say that they are literally living in a different country."

Well.

In his novels and his political commentary, Webb has been a writer of genuine distinction, using language with care and precision. But just days after winning an election, he was turning out slapdash prose that would be rejected by a reasonably demanding high school teacher.

Never mind Webb's careless and absurd assertion that the nation's incessantly discussed wealth gap is "the least debated" issue in American politics.

And never mind his use of the word "literally," although even with private schools and a large share of the nation's wealth, the "top tier" -- whatever cohort he intends to denote by that phrase; he is suddenly too inflamed by social injustice to tarry over the task of defining his terms -- does not "literally" live in another country.

And never mind the cavalier historical judgments -- although is he sure that America is less egalitarian today than it was, say, 50 years ago, when only about 7 percent of American adults had college degrees? (Twenty-eight percent do today.) Or 80 years ago, when more than 80 percent of American adults did not have high school diplomas (85 percent have them today), and only about 46 percent owned their own homes, compared with 69 percent today?

But notice, in the second sentence of Webb's column, the word "infinitely." Earth to Webb: Words have meanings that not even senators can alter. And he has been elected to be a senator, not Humpty Dumpty in "Through the Looking Glass." ("When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.") America's national economic statistics are excellent; Webb could actually tell us how much richer the "top tier" has become, relative to other cohorts, over a particular span. But that would require him to actually say whom he is talking about, and that takes time and effort, and senators -- Webb is a natural -- often are too busy for accuracy.

Based on Webb's behavior before being sworn in, one shudders to think what he will be like after that. He already has become what Washington did not need another of, a subtraction from the city's civility and clear speaking.""

you agree with will on the war...but,i`m sure you disagree with him on the guy with the "hairhat".....who gladly passed the exchange on to the media....great opportunity....

i wonder why he didn`t say to the press,"that`s between me and george bush"?.....

he`s the strong,silent type....lol

i understand....

 

[Eddie Haskell]

Weaz:

It just may have something to do with the age old adage of the poor man fighting the rich mans wars. Not saying that Webbs son is poor but the fact that Jenna is bronzing in Buenos Aires while Billie Bob is dodging bullets in Baghdad seems to me to be the import of any resentment to the big war criminal in DC. Will is entitled to his draconian opinion as is anyone else. But Bush shouldn't bait him knowing his position until he volunteers his own priviledged bitch to go fight.

It wasn't an innocent heartfelt question coming from the scumbag. He has no more concern for Webbs son than he has for the hundreds of thousands of others he is responsible for killing. I would resent this pig asking me how my son was if he was fighting a war started by that scumball while his daughter was shopping in South America when there was no valid reason for her not to be fighting along side of him also.

Tell why isn't she at least in the Texas Air National Guard stationed in Alabama somewhere. At least she could then say she wanted to go to Iraq but she had more important things to do. Well, I guess now we should send an air craft carrier to just off the coast of Argentina, pick Jenna up, hang a Mission Accomplished sign in the background for a photo op, and take a picture of her in a flight jacket holding up a couple of Gucci bags.

Eddie

 

[StevieD]

Weaseie, you appartently disagree with Will on the War but agree with him about the raccoon hat guy or whatever. So please explain how that makes you any different than any of us who agree with Will on the War but disagree about other things he says.
I dunno how it is in Neoconland but the rest of us can still pick and choose what we agree and disagree with.