Webb Responds for the Democrats

I know this is ancient history by the time I post it, but I want to put it out there. Jim Webb defeated George Allen in the 2006 Virginia Senate race (we all know Allen).

And after last night’s State of the Union speech, Webb delivered a response on behalf of the Democratic Party. This is an excerpt:

The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable – and predicted – disarray that has followed.

The war’s costs to our nation have been staggering.
Financially.
The damage to our reputation around the world.
The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism.
And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.

The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq’s cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.

2 Responses to “Webb Responds for the Democrats”


  1. James Whalen

    If you watch the video of him giving the response last night you’ll notice that he was trying not to laugh (at the president) at certain points, I’d have to watch it again to tell you exactly where.

  2. Connecticut Man1

    I don’t think he was forceful enough in providing what would be a real new course, and the only one that is really left to us at this point. Redeployment.

    He echoed that when he voted against the “Dodd/Kennedy/whoever wants to get in line and claim it for their presidential run” bill in committee.