Political journalist Elizabeth Drew has a piece in the New York Review of Books this month that, while disguised as an appraisal of Jim Webb’s career, is actually something of a pitch for him as Obama’s VP. In describing how she was pleasantly surprised that he wasn’t irascible or ill-tempered — not like there’s ever been anyone like that in the Senate – experienced political reporter Drew sounds almost smitten with the guy:
Webb turned out to be an easy conversationalist with a low, gentle
voice, a ready smile, and a sometimes very full laugh. During an
hour-and-a-half-long conversation over sandwiches in his office, I kept
waiting for him to be weird, but that never happened. Even Webb’s looks
are surprising: on television his large, flat face, with its broad
forehead, looks like a potato—pale and pasty. In person his complexion
is ruddy—with piercing blue eyes that suggest a man who might in fact
have a wild side, a man whom one doesn’t want to cross. Yet there is an
air of almost preternatural calm about Webb, of a man who knows who he
is. He is reserved; one gets the sense that he’s seen things he just
doesn’t want to talk about. (This is a characteristic shared by other
Vietnam veterans.)
The strong point she makes for Webb as VP is that he is a pugnacious, military hero, angry about blue-collar pocketbook issues, from a crucial area in which Obama got clobbered — Appalachia. To my surprise I learned that he’s quite an energetic writer — he even wrote a history of the Scotch-Irish people in Appalachia. Given the large Obama-unfriendly Appalachian population in populous swing states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia, Webb would be an excellent complement.
Less attractive to progressives are his continued support of Vietnam and late-70s, and ridicule of the idea that women can serve in combat (although he has since recanted his published views on female soldiers).
But since the VP position is more symbolic than substantive, I’d give it some serious thought. Political utility trump policy for this attack dog position. Plus, anyone who’s told W. to shove it, to his face, has my vote.
Accidental Blogger 
2 responses to “Worldwide Webb? (Andrew)”
It is interesting that aside from Bush-Cheney and the recent Democratic presidential candidates in the news, the one US politician who has been featured the most number of times on our blog is Jim Webb. Yours is the fourth full length post on the senator. This probably shows that Webb is indeed an intriguing character and stands out among the mostly indistinguishable mass of partisans elected to office.
I too have been going back and forth in my mind, tossing around the pros and cons of Obama’s prospective VP picks. I keep coming back to Jim Webb as one of the strongest contenders, able to contribute considerable heft in areas where Obama is weak or inexperienced. On the other hand, I would hate to see him leave the senate. His is a fearless and determined presence in Congress, especially when it comes to holding his spineless colleagues’ feet to the fire.
I am sure there will be many who will hold his positions on the Vietnam War and women in combat as strikes against him. But I disagree. These are two areas in which a person’s opinion does not necessarily reflect their lack of “progressive” values, particularly when coming from a war hardened veteran. Webb’s position on most economic and cultural matters are admirably progressive.
I don’t think I am smitten with Webb as Elizabeth Drew appears to be. But as my posts about him would indicate, I must say that I am very, very pleasantly surprised by him. Also, Webb didn’t just tell Bush to “shove it,” he publicly confessed his desire to “slug him.”
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Hi I just came across your site and wondered if you wouldn’t mind linking to my blog, “Bitter White Folks for Obama” – I’m trying to get the working-class, rural, white, Protestant “Appalachian” demographic (and their descendants and diaspora, of which I am one) behind him as much as I am able by sounding off from my own vantage point. From what I’ve been reading about Obama’s “Appalachian Problem”, this is going to be an absolutely crucial task for the next two months as it may be them who decide where things go (many of those battleground areas, for instance in eastern Ohio are primarily Appalachian migrants to the North). My biggest obstacle so far is that my blog is not yet showing up in Google even after almost a week of existence because not enough other sites are linked to it yet, although I’ve already gotten over 400 hits even without that – so would you mind linking to it so that I can start making more of an impact? I’d really appreciate it! I’ll link ya
back. Jason.
http://bitterwhitefolksforobama.blogspot.com
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