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What a jerk.
I like him even more now.
In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits
By Michael D. Shear
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 29, 2006; Page A01
At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.
"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.
"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"
"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.
Webb was narrowly elected to the U.S. Senate this month with a brash, unpolished style that helped win over independent voters in Virginia and earned him support from national party leaders. Now, his Democratic colleagues in the Senate are getting a close-up view of the former boxer, military officer and Republican who is joining their ranks.
If the exchange with Bush two weeks ago is any indication, Webb won't be a wallflower, especially when it comes to the war in Iraq. And he won't stick to a script drafted by top Democrats.
"I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall," Webb said in an interview yesterday in which he confirmed the exchange between him and Bush. "No offense to the ins ution 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."
In the days after the election, Webb's Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill went out of their way to make nice with Bush and be seen by his side. House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) sat down for a lunch and photo opportunity with Bush, as did Democratic leaders in the Senate.
Not Webb, who said he tried to avoid a confrontation with Bush at the White House reception but did not shy away from one when the president approached.
The White House declined to discuss the encounter. "As a general matter, we do not comment on private receptions hosted by the president at the White House," said White House spokeswoman Dana M. Perino.
Webb said he has "strong ideas," but he also insisted that -- as a former Marine in Vietnam -- he knows how to work in a place such as the Senate, where being part of a team is important.
He plans to push for a new GI bill for soldiers who have served in the days since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, but not as a freshman senator. He has approached the Democratic leadership about getting senior legislators to sponsor the bill when the 110th Congress convenes in January.
A strong backer of gun rights, Webb may find himself at odds with many in his party. He expressed support during the campaign for a bill by his opponent, Sen. George Allen (R-Va.), that would allow concealed weapons in national parks. But an aide said this week that Webb will review Allen's legislation.
"There are going to be times when I've got some strong ideas, but I'm not looking to simply be a renegade," he said. "I think people in the Democratic Party leadership have already begun to understand that I know how to work inside a structure."
His party's leaders hope that he means it.
Top Democratic senators, including incoming Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), had invested their money and prestige in Webb before he won the party primary in June. His victory was also theirs, but now they have to make sure he's not a liability.
"He's not a typical politician. He really has deep convictions," said Schumer, who headed the Senate Democrats' campaign arm. "We saw this in the campaign. We would have disagreements. But when you made a persuasive argument, he would say, 'You're right.' I am truly not worried about it. He understands the need to be part of a team."
One senior Democratic staff member on Capitol Hill, who spoke on condition that he not be identified so he could speak freely about the new senator, said that Webb's lack of political polish was part of his charm as a candidate but could be a problem as a senator.
"I think he's going to be a total pain. He is going to do things his own way. That's a good thing and a bad thing," the staff member said. But he said that Webb's personality may be just what the Senate needs. "You need a little of everything. Some element of that personality is helpful."
Webb has started to put himself out front. On "Meet the Press" last week, he dispensed with the normal banter with host Tim Russert to talk seriously about Iraq and the need for economic justice in the United States.
He announced yesterday that he has hired Paul J. Reagan, a communications director for former governor Mark R. Warner (D) and a former chief of staff for U.S. Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.). It will be Reagan's job to help his boss navigate the intricacies of Washington and Capitol Hill without losing the essence of his personality.
"The relationships he has built over his long career will serve me well," Webb said in a statement yesterday.
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D), who campaigned hard to get Webb elected, said yesterday that the first-time officeholder doesn't have the finesse of most experienced politicians.
"He is not a backslapper," Kaine said. "There are different models that succeed in politics. There's the hail-fellow-well-met model of backslapping. That's not his style."
But Kaine said that Webb's background, including a stint as Ronald Reagan's Navy secretary, will make him an important -- if unpredictable -- voice on the war in Iraq.
"There are no senators who have that everyday anxiety that he has as a dad with a youngster on the front lines. That gives him gravitas and credibility on this issue," Kaine said. "People in the Senate, I'm sure, will agree with him or disagree with him on issue to issue. But they won't doubt that he's coming at it from a real sense of duty."
Staff writer Peter Baker contributed to this report.
"Thats not what I asked you"...then don't bring up the topic, asshole.
What a jerk.
I like him even more now.
He didn't bring up the topic, he asked him how his boy was.
RIF and comprehension should be too.
Sorry, he doesn't get off that easy; context matters too, unless you want to argue Bush was completely unaware that Webb's son was serving in Iraq.
I'm guessing the opportunity to knock out some of Dubya's teeth wouldn't be worth getting riddled with bullets from Secret Service.Son also rises in testy Webb-Bush exchange
By Emily Heil
President Bush has pledged to work with the new Democratic majorities in Congress, but he has already gotten off on the wrong foot with Jim Webb, whose surprise victory over Sen. George Allen (R-Va.) tipped the Senate to the Democrats.
Webb, a decorated former Marine officer, hammered Allen and Bush over the unpopular war in Iraq while wearing his son’s old combat boots on the campaign trail. It seems the president may have some lingering resentment.
At a private reception held at the White House with newly elected lawmakers shortly after the election, Bush asked Webb how his son, a Marine lance corporal serving in Iraq, was doing.
Webb responded that he really wanted to see his son brought back home, said a person who heard about the exchange from Webb.
“I didn’t ask you that, I asked how he’s doing,” Bush retorted, according to the source.
Webb confessed that he was so angered by this that he was tempted to slug the commander-in-chief, reported the source, but of course didn’t. It’s safe to say, however, that Bush and Webb won’t be taking any overseas trips together anytime soon.
“Jim did have a conversation with Bush at that dinner,” said Webb’s spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd. “Basically, he asked about Jim’s son, Jim expressed the fact that he wanted to have him home.” Todd did not want to escalate matters by commenting on Bush’s response, saying, “It was a private conversation.”
A White House spokeswoman declined to give Bush’s version of the conversation.
Why couldn't he have said "doing well, Mr. President, but his mother and I are anxious to get him back home." That way he shows some respect for the President, while still conveying his thoughts on the war. There's no reason to be rude.
He has no respect for the president. I don't agree with everything he does or says, but his lack of asskissing is refreshing. Webb was avoiding talking to the president; Bushie should have taken the hint.That way he shows some respect for the President
Is that what we should do? Make sure we show him respect?
Webb should have told him his son was serving his country instead of avoiding service.
Kindly identify the "rude" member of the party during this domestic, apolitical exchange:
Husband: "So, how's your mother doing?"
Wife: "She's anxious to get out that nursing home you decided to put her in..."
Husband: "I didn't ask you about that, Goddammit! I asked how's your mother doing?"
Wife: "Oh. Um, she's doing much better, dear."
Husband: "Wonderful. Can you pass the salt please?"
I'm sorry, but Bush's twisted, dictatorial idea of what polite small talk should be is too much fun! Here's more:
Bush: "Howdy neighbor!"
Neighbor: "Hey George! Good to see ya!"
Bush: "So have you gotten the Cadillac out of the body shop yet?"
Neighbor: "Well, acutally I still haven't heard from your insurance company about the damages..."
Bush: "I didn't ask you about that! I asked if you'd gotten the Caddy out of the body shop yet."
Neighbor: "Oh, uh...no not yet George!"
My new favorite Senator. Not only beat Allen, has the balls to stop playing politics and stand up to Bush in person, but also supports gun rights.
It's always a fine line between giving the Office the respect that it deserves, even if you don't respect the man in the office. IF the comment about punching the POTUS in the mouth were accurate, that is breaching the line. Otherwise, he made his point with his initial response without disrespecting the Office. It will be interesting if we could see all the behind the scenes actions that will surely come as a result of this.
What happened to "earn respect"?
Just because it's the office of the pres. makes it untouchable?
All that punch in the face stuff was off the record, so I can't really fault him for that.
It'll be interesting to see if Webb really fits into the more sedate Senate as it seems he has the temperament better suited for the more raucous House.
Thus, the fine line between the man and the Office.
The Office does not have to "earn" respect. It commands it as the position of our country's executive leadership.
The man does have to "earn" the respect as an individual by proving that he can handle the Office successfully.
The Office has held me in awe when thinking about what it represents; whereas, the majority of the men in recent years who have held the Office have underwhelmed me.
"office of the pres. makes it untouchable?"
yes, when the occupant is a Repug.
When Clinton was there, the Repugs witchthunted him to distraction, and then thye blame him for not putting enough effort into al-Qaida. What if the Repugs had let Clinton do his job, and put the energy he put into defending himself against frivolous Repug attacks into concentrating more on terrorists?
hmm, maybe then the Repugs wouldn't be tatooed eternally for derelicton of NatSec duty in 2001?
Dang, you got some hate going, bro!
Give your blood pressure a break and watch the game tonight.
1. Webb doesn't have the decency to answer a question without being a jerk.
2. The jerk wanted to punch the POTUS
Being an jerk isn't "standing up to the President", it's just being a jerk.
Conclusion: You love jerks who support gun rights. Wow
"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President" - wow, what an inflammatory statement!
Webb didn't want to dignify Bush's insincere, patronizing and downright JERKY question.
No, I support people who don't play political games, and will let a man know when he is being a .
I support a guy who has been in the Marines, yet doesn't fall into the trap of having to believe that our war activities must be considered perfectly just no matter what.
I support a guy who doesn't feel that he has to cave to the pressure of being a polite politician.
I support a democrat who stand up for gun rights.
I support Jim Webb.
A black dude standing up for Bush? What in the is the world coming to? Detroit
Who said it was inflammatory? (Answer: you did). No biggie to me, but Webb was rude, and being rude is being in jerk."That's between me and my boy, Mr. President" - wow, what an inflammatory statement!
Webb didn't want to dignify Bush's insincere, patronizing and downright JERKY question.
Yeah, I always feel like someone's being a patronizing, insincere jerk when they ask me how my sons are doing.
And how do you know it was an insincere question? (I'll answer for you again, since you probably won't get it right) You don't.
Your rude hero is not a supporter of your "american idea" of same-sex marriage.
Of course, since he "stood up" (Jim is a Christian and believes in his faith that marriage is between one man and one woman. He would oppose any effort to infringe upon each religious ins ution’s right to define marriage as they see fit. (League of Women Voters Debate, 10/9/06) http://www.webbforsenate.com/press/release.php?id=188) to Bush and supports gun rights on top of that, I'm sure you're willing to overlook this major flaw in his vision for America.
You really don't know much about the man, do you?
I'm sorry but where have all the Bush lovers been the last few months? Bush has demonized the democrats as not wanting to fight the war on terror. He said that if the dems win we will be less safe. Bush siad that dems want to surrender/cut and run /do not want to win in Iraq. Darth Vader cheney was out on the campaign trail trying to scare anyone who would listen and trashing any democrat he could..and now Bush wants to play nice? Sorry he's an asshole with all due repsect of course...
Your rude hero is not a supporter of your "american idea" of same-sex marriage.
Of course, since he "stood up" (
You really don't know much about the man, do you?
So are you saying that in order to support someone you need to agree with them on 100% of the issues? So then I guess I could say that since you support Bush you must enjoy the borders being wide open?
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