Posted on 07/15/2007 3:32:57 PM PDT by Vision
WASHINGTON - When senators from opposing parties call each other "friend" and pat each other as they talk, there's a fighting chance they're angling to wring each other's neck.
So it appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday when Democrat Jim Webb of Virginia and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina testily exchanged views on President Bush's Iraq policy and troop welfare. An impromptu troop surge debate turned into a temper surge.
"Just wash your hands of Iraq," an animated Graham said to the war critics, including the Democrat seated to his immediate right. "History will judge us, my friend."
"It's been a hard month, Lindsey," Webb commiserated, wearing a tight smile. "You need to calm down, my friend."
"Lindsey's had a hard month," Webb repeated.
"It ain't about Lindsey having a hard month," Graham snapped.
The Democrat, a Vietnam veteran, lost an effort in the Senate last week to require specified periods of home time for troops deployed in the war, his bill winning majority support but falling short of the 60 votes needed to proceed. He took sharp objection when Graham asserted that high re-enlistment numbers are a vote of confidence in the Iraq policy by the troops.
"This is one thing I really take objection to — may I speak? — is politicians who try to put their political views into the mouths of soldiers," Webb said over his opponent's interruptions. He placed his hand briefly on Graham's back, then jerked his thumb in the Republican's direction.
"Have you been to Iraq?" Graham demanded.
"I've covered two wars as a correspondent," Webb said. "I have been to Afghanistan as a journalist."
Graham: "Have you been to Iraq and talked to the soldiers?"
Webb: "You know, you've never been to Iraq, Lindsey."
The Republican pointed out he's been there seven times.
"You know," Webb said dismissively, "you can see the dog and pony shows. That's what congressman do.
"Why don't you go look at the polls, Lindsey, instead of the seven or eight people that are put in front of you when you make your congressional visit?"
Graham tried to ease the tension. It didn't work.
"Let's — something we can agree on," he said, placing his hand on Webb's arm. "We both admire the men and the women in uniform. "
"Don't put political words in their mouth," Webb interrupted.
The exchange ended with Graham praising the troops: "God bless them and let's make sure they can win because they can."
And Webb getting the final, combative word:
"I'll let them judge what you said."
“one Ollie North, defeated him in a boxing match...he still cries about it to this day.”
Maybe when Ollie knocked him up-side the head, it knocked the sense out of Webb and he went a little nuts.
Maybe Ollie should punch the living day-lights out of him again...
“george allen did a b-1 bob dornan,
and called a guy an ethnic slur.
gosh, why don’t folks like me? and why aren’t i in the u.s. senate?”
I’m on something of a grassroots blogosphere campaign to get the RNC to develop some sort of internal audit group to research its candidates more thoroughly and to help them prepare for the microscopic examinations of the Liberal Media and their minions.
Our side lost the last election because of scandals, some of which, frankly, were well-justified in their exposure of corruption (Foley, Abramoff) or plain idiocy (Allen). Most importantly, these could have been prevented or highly mitigated if we had some sort of internal audit group that provided accountability and preparation.
The public didn’t look at the message, it looked at the messengers. And frankly, a lot of our messengers sucked (no pun intended re Foley).
His selfishness is pretty clear to me. McCain approached Graham and asked him if he would like to be VP. McCain needed Graham for the South Carolina primary and the rest of the South - which McCain has been smoldering over ever since 2000. Goober - thinking swiftly - answered "Wull, golly-gee whilikkers! Whaddya want me to throw overboard?" McCain just told him to sit tight until he was needed for whatever roadblock McCain threw in front of the Republicans.
The Shamnesty thing probably looked like a godsend. McCain and Graham could both look like they were backing the Republican President while pandering to the Hispanic vote. But it blew up in their faces, since their strategy essentially dumped all over the Republican base, as well as every honorable citizen in this country.
Now, what do they have? The red-hot hatred of every red-blooded, red-state American. The Media can't save them on this one, so they've already chucked them under the wheels of their own Railroading Express - but tagging them in self-serving fashion as losers due to their support for the Iraq war.
Webb’s an Idiot. Graham served active duty time in theatre at the Staff Judge Advocate !
agree.
Between the two of them there isn’t much to choose.
But Webb’s bullying stance (he IS physically larger than Graham) is despicable!
Graham served active duty time in theatre at the Staff Judge Advocate !
Wow, that’s impressive! Graham Staff Judge Advocate (lawyer)- Webb Navy Cross.
Graham came across as a wishy-washy Republican idiot.
That’s correct. Graham served IN UNIFORM over the Easter recess in Baghdad with the brother of my business associate. I’ve seen the pictures. He didn’t just go on some fact finding fly through...he served. Not positive but I think his position is Lt. Col. in the S.C. guard.
Having said that, I don’t like him as a senator, but he knows what’s going on in Iraq.
The Webb bitch, and his cronies, are trying to engineer a defeat in Iraq, and for America, so that they can win in 08, blaming Bush and the Repubs for the defeat.
If the question was put the American people, “do you think our military should win in Iraq, or should we surrender and come home” and I will bet that 80% of Americans will vote to win in Iraq, because we as a Nation cannot afford to lose Iraq, and certainly, we cannot allow the liberal socialist in Congress to engineer a defeat for us here in Iraq!
Thanks for all of American’s support, we can and will win in Iraq, if the liberals will stop stabbing us in the back every time we engage AQ.
and grahm is a pussy which is a big part of the current problem
The greater part of the population lived in the Tidewater but they were majority black and simply did not have the votes necessary to control the Governorship.
With the break up of the old Byrd Machine and the rise of a modern Republican party, you found the former power base of the Democratic party wither away except where it could be supplanted with the new black voters.
In the last Senatorial race you had the Washington Post stirring up the anti-semites, and the Democrats actually had a candidate, Webb, who'd used anti-semitism in his primary race.
Proportionately blacks and whites in Tidewater voted pretty much like they had in previous campaigns in an off-year (which is why Frank Wolf, Tom Davis and Jim Moran won as usual in Northern Virginia) ~ The Valley and the Southern end of the Piedmont ended up controlling the election.
My deepest sympathies.
Anyone else think Webb looks like a young Larry Flynt?
His constituents voted him into office (unfortunately). What a moron!!
Unless his war injuries threatened his career, Im thinking that it was up and out for him and the Marines
The same thing we did to deserve mr.shamnesty, they were elected. Blackbird.
The Surge is Working and Al Queda is Dying.
Of course PravdABDNC will call this an angry exchange. Lindsey didn’t let the two Dems stop him with their cheap gastapo tactics and kept beating them like a pair of Rented Mules.
Graham just got back from Iraq and knows that the Surge is working and is Al Queda/CowardcRats worst nightmare. One of the best beatings in years. Hey Webb, you looked like an armless man in a Boxing Match.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
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