Posted on 06/28/2006 4:18:22 PM PDT by new yorker 77
Republican Sen. George Allen (news, bio, voting record) attacked his Democratic challenger's opposition to a flag-burning amendment, and James Webb retaliated by calling Allen a coward who sat out the Vietnam War "playing cowboy at a dude ranch in Nevada."
The statement by a senior adviser to Webb, a decorated veteran and former secretary of the Navy, went to extraordinary lengths to question Allen's fortitude, even repeatedly using the middle name the senator detests and never uses, Felix.
"While Jim Webb and others of George Felix Allen Jr.'s generation were fighting for our freedoms and for our symbols of freedom in Vietnam, George Felix Allen Jr. was playing cowboy at a dude ranch in Nevada," said Webb strategist Steve Jarding in the statement Tuesday.
Allen adviser Dick Wadhams called Jarding's comments pathetic and said they raise questions about Webb's fitness for office.
"They're saying we questioned (Webb's) patriotism, and that's a lie," Wadhams said. "We just raised a legitimate question about whether he supports a flag amendment or not. How is that questioning his patriotism?"
The rhetorical crossfire began after an Allen news release noted Webb's opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow Congress to ban desecration of the U.S. flag.
Allen voted in favor of the amendment Tuesday evening when the measure failed by one vote to get the two-thirds majority required.
The news release by Allen's campaign said Webb's opposition to the amendment shows he is beholden to liberal Sens. John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Charles Schumer, who all voted against the amendment.
Within hours, Webb lashed back, calling Allen's news release "weak-kneed attacks by cowards."
"People who live in glass dude ranches should not question the patriotism of real soldiers who fought and bled for this country on a real battlefield," Jarding said.
Webb left the Republican party over Bush's handling of the war in Iraq. He has written novels informed by his Vietnam experience and a recent non-fiction book "Born Fighting."
Allen is a first-term senator mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate. While he was a student at the University of Virginia, Allen worked summers at ranches in the Southwest.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved.
Does webb kiss his kids with that mouth?
This Webb guy is pretty nasty, isn't he? I guess you've gotta expect this from an anti-Semite, though.
It time for WEBB to go.
FYI
There's a part of me (the wild part) that wishes for a return to the age of dueling, so that a**holes like Webb would feel consequences for their childish, hate-filled insults.
For what its worth, the flag burning amendment is silly, and I am surprised that it apparenly polls highly enough in order to be the subject of attack ads. I for one am disappointed that Coburn voted for it.
It didn't take long for Webb to throw down the chickenhawk card. I suspect that's what his whole deck is, so the Allen camp better get used to this line of attack.
It's the line of a not ready for prime time loser.
It gets funnier. Read the whole press release, grab it before they pull it.
http://www.webbforsenate.com/press/release.php?id=57
June 27, 2006
Webb Campaign Blasts Allen Campaign for “Weak-Kneed Attacks” Against Men and Women in Uniform
Arlington—The campaign of U.S. Senate candidate Jim Webb today called the attacks on Webb’s patriotism by Allen’s campaign, “weak-kneed attacks by cowards” and demanded that Allen and his campaign apologize.
“George Felix Allen Jr. and his bush-league lapdog, Dick Wadhams, have not earned the right to challenge Jim Webb’s position on free speech and flag burning. Jim Webb served and fought for our flag and what it stands for, while George Felix Allen Jr. chose to cut and run. When he and his disrespectful campaign puppets attack Jim Webb they are attacking every man and woman who served. Their comments are nothing more than weak-kneed attacks by cowards. George Felix Allen Jr. needs to apologize to Jim Webb and to all men and women who have served our nation,” Webb spokesman Steve Jarding said.
On Tuesday, George Felix Allen Jr. and his campaign issued a press release in which the Allen campaign, through Wadhams, implied that Webb’s position in support of the Free Speech Amendment to the U.S. Constitution amounted to a political act and not a defense of our Constitution, which Webb fought for and for which he was highly decorated. George Felix Allen Jr. did not serve.
“I believe it is precisely because of bush-league attacks like this that John Zogby, a highly respected, independent polling expert just this week said that Dick Wadhams is not fit to serve as a campaign manager and that George Allen should find a new manager,” Jarding said.
“While Jim Webb and others of George Felix Allen Jr.’s generation were fighting for our freedoms and for our symbols of freedom in Vietnam, George Felix Allen Jr. was playing cowboy at a dude ranch in Nevada. People who live in glass dude ranches should not question the patriotism of real soldiers who fought and bled for this country on a real battlefield,” Jarding said.
“Is Dick Wadhams willing to publicly say that Colin Powell, John Glenn and Bob Kerrey are unpatriotic for having the same position on the flag burning amendment that Jim Webb has? Ask him,” Jarding said.
Jarding continued, “The following is why George Felix Allen Jr. has not earned the right to challenge Jim Webb in his support of our Constitution and its free speech provisions:
Jim Webb was first in this class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officer’s Basic School in Quantico, Virginia. Jim Webb served with the Fifth Marine Regiment in Vietnam, where as a rifle platoon and company commander in the infamous An Hoa Basin west of Danang. Jim Webb was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals and two Purple Hearts while fighting in Vietnam. Jim Webb served as a platoon commander and as an instructor in tactics and weapons at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School. Jim Webb served in the US Congress as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1977 to 1981, becoming the first Vietnam veteran to serve as a full committee counsel in the Congress. In 1982, Jim Webb first proposed, then led the fight for including an African American soldier in the memorial statue that now graces the Vietnam Veterans memorial on the National Mall. In 1984, Jim Webb was appointed the inaugural Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, where he traveled extensively in, and worked closely with, our NATO allies. As Assistant Secretary, Webb directed considerable research and analysis of the U.S. military’s mobilization capabilities. In 1987, Jim Webb was appointed Secretary of the Navy becoming the first Naval Academy graduate in history to serve in the military and be appointed Secretary of the Navy. In addition to his wartime medals, Jim Webb has been awarded the following medals and citations:
The Department of Defense distinguished Public Service Medal The Medal of Honor Society’s Patriot Award The American Legion National Commander’s Public Service Award The VFW’s Media Service Award The Marine Corps League’s Military Order of the Iron Mike Award The John Russell Leadership Award The Robert L. Denig Distinguished Service Award.
[ /snip resume ]
Webb of deception and deceit.
Do us all a favor and post this in its' entirety on a separate thread for the record.
Hopefully, this will backfire (although it takes more for liberal attacks than conservative attacks to backfire). We can take solace in the fact that it didn't work for Chuck Robb in 2000.
I agree, but since when is burning speech? I thought is was in fact an action that is not speech? Nitpicking I guess but things like this bother me.
does he feel the same way about that big war hero clinton?
Webb served in Vietnam? (Shades of JF'nK)
Webb's a one issue candidate. Allen will do just fine as long as nobody tries to "swift boat" Webb. That won't work on Webb 'cause Webb is the real deal and it would play to his only issue.
By this logic, newspaper articles aren't "speech". And pixels on a computer screen aren't "speech". Other forms of expression are protected as speech.
Sounds like he's in the mold of Perot, McCain, and Kerry.
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