The Response

Here is Jim Webb's response to the President's speech.

Actually, I thought it was quite good. I would be more than satisfied if I were a Democrat listening to Webb speak. Not only did he come off as quite articulate, but also he presented himself as militarily strong, which was especially important considering the Dems' recent weaknesses on military, defense, and national security.

From what I could see, the Dems chose the perfect representative who didn't shy away from the spotlight despite his freshman status. Some of what he said, however, did not sit well with me.

For instance, this statement on the economy: "The first (difference between the two major parties) relates to how we see the health of our economy – how we measure it, and how we ensure that its benefits are properly shared among all Americans." To me, this sounds like code language for "redistribution of wealth"...certainly a scary thought. Shouldn't you be allowed to keep what you earn?

This fragment on the Iraq War is QUITE telling of the Dems' real stance: "The second regards our foreign policy – how we might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion..."...wouldn't a "proper conclusion" to the war be "winning"? Why doesn't he say he wants to win the war?

Do ANY Democrats say they want to win the war???

Another point of contention I have with the speech is the consistent Democratic claim that the war in Iraq takes away from the global "war on terror"...

Is there ever any proof of that?

The President has made abundantly clear that an unstable Iraq is not the only threat to our national security. And other countries are doing their part as well.

Another suspect statement during the rebuttal: "The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military." - Webb offers no evidence to support this claim. It seems apparent that the former assertion is true...but the latter?

Questions are raised by Flopping Aces here. More from National Review.

The conclusion to the speech, I thought, was the best part. Invoking Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower, two universally respected Presidents, was a good move. Also, the fact that Webb re-wrote the speech himself also seemed to be a good move. His personal story of military strength showed that Dems' *may* be able to be against the war and support the military.

They haven't proven that to me yet, though...