From the Hill: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.What a complete lack of tact! What utter smugness! The wealthy usually have better sense than to display openly their contempt for others. Poppy would never have said such a thing, and he served in combat. Although I am embarrassed by this president (note the lower-case "p") on a daily basis, my face has never before -- even with the aid of rosacia -- achieved its present crimson flush.
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.
In situations like these, the best rejoinder comes to mind only retrospectively. Perhaps Webb should have said something along these lines:
"Sir, in the future, if anyone asks when I decided to vote for your removal, I'll mention this moment."
Webb is not in the House, so (unless I misunderstand the process) he cannot introduce an impeachment resolution. But he must be thinking "I would if I could...!
Incidentally, the Washington Post offers a version of the exchange with slightly different wording. According to that account,
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"The headline: "In Following His Own Script, Webb May Test Senate's Limits." As though Jim Webb were the one who made the faux pas...!
"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.
(Thanks to a DU poster for the pics...)
6 comments:
You've been watching the mid-series episodes of the West Wing again, haven't you?
The "How's your boy" variant of the exchange sounds more consistent with Bush's modus...using personal touches - nicknames, comments about attire, etc. - to disarm press and opponents. In his own clumsy way, Bush might have been trying to push a friendly, personal interaction on Webb, whose stake in the issue under discussion made him resist it.
Bush's forced use of such tactics is, in my view, a manifestation of a controlling personality that cares little about the views and desires of those on the other side of the conversation.
myxzptlk
Bush has to be one of the most arrogant people ever. To think Webb would have an answer to offer publicly shows Bush's big disconnect with America in general. I can't blame Webb's reaction and I am glad he did not loose his cool. He made it... he's up there and I expect action out of him at least.... he is already showing signs of movement.
As a woman, I find Webb very difficult to like or cheer on. Call me cynical, but I think his strong misogynistic tendencies will ultimately be his downfall. Women, especially those who share his desire for power and influence, are his very own "macaccas."
However for now, I AM cheering on his ability to speak truth to power, before it was even popular to do so. Dubya better stay far, far away from this guy.
Kim in PA
Proud to be a Virginia Democrat here. Webb will surprise many people. The Corporate Media has referred to him as a 'conservative.' That shows hot truly lazy they are.
He is for "leveling" the field vis a vis income distribution. He abhors the growing divide between the haves and have nots, he supports choice. He opposed the Virginia anti gay marriage amendment. He opposed the flab burning amendment debated in the Senate early in his campaign. He was a PREWAR OPPONENT OF THE IRAQ WAR, and he is an intellectual.
Opposing the war before the capitulation measure in the Senate means he told the truth and acted on it while a majority of Senate Democrats caved in to political convenience. Watch what he does on the Patriot Act and the Terror Enabling Act whereby we became sitting ducks for the latest tyrant.
I believe that the event was a merger of both the Post account and the other circulating. Webb would come back with something like that quoted in the post and, I strongly suspect, like many of us, he'd have that urge to level things interpersonally with *.
Good for him. He is officially in their face. He'll stay there and he won't be an Obama; a kiss ass to the 'elders.' Webb knows that he's ahead of them by a country mile just on the Iraq vote.
It is always very bad behavior to meddle in someone elses family and exceptionally bad to "dis" them. * made an enemy for life by compounding his political behavior, which Webb finds objectionable, with his poorbehavior as a life guard.
Michael Collins.
Proud to be a Virginia Democrat here. Webb will surprise many people. The Corporate Media has referred to him as a 'conservative.' That shows hot truly lazy they are.
He is for "leveling" the field vis a vis income distribution. He abhors the growing divide between the haves and have nots, he supports choice. He opposed the Virginia anti gay marriage amendment. He opposed the flab burning amendment debated in the Senate early in his campaign. He was a PREWAR OPPONENT OF THE IRAQ WAR, and he is an intellectual.
Opposing the war before the capitulation measure in the Senate means he told the truth and acted on it while a majority of Senate Democrats caved in to political convenience. Watch what he does on the Patriot Act and the Terror Enabling Act whereby we became sitting ducks for the latest tyrant.
I believe that the event was a merger of both the Post account and the other circulating. Webb would come back with something like that quoted in the post and, I strongly suspect, like many of us, he'd have that urge to level things interpersonally with *.
Good for him. He is officially in their face. He'll stay there and he won't be an Obama; a kiss ass to the 'elders.' Webb knows that he's ahead of them by a country mile just on the Iraq vote.
It is always very bad behavior to meddle in someone else's family and exceptionally bad to "dis" them. * made an enemy for life by compounding his political behavior, which Webb finds objectionable, with his poor behavior as a life guard.
Michael Collins.
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