He'd kill us if he had the chance

There are conspiracy theorists -- I am not among them -- who believe that the first Kennedy assassination victim was Joseph Kennedy Jr., the eldest child, who went down in the still-mysterious crash of an experimental plane in World War II. Even at that time (so the theorists argue), Joe's ambitious father was grooming the young man for high office. Enemies of the Kennedy clan decided to arrange a death in combat, lest this potential "problem child" return home as a celebrated war hero.

To repeat: I am not among the believers in such a scenario. No evidence supports the notion, and many good arguments can be raised against it. That said...

The new revelations about the Tillman episode remind one DU participant of the infamous exchange between Senator Jim Webb and George Bush.

Here's the original story of the Webb exchange, according to 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.

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.

After the jump, I will reprint my comment from last December:

(To read the rest, click "Permalink" below)

The Webb/Bush controversy reminds me of Francis Ford Coppola's classic film The Conversation. Remember how one line -- "He'd kill us if he had the chance" -- took on a completely new meaning by the film's end?

In a similar fashion, Bush's comment to Webb takes on new meaning now that we know the backstory. A short while before this encounter, Webb's son was involved in a nasty firefight in which three Marines died. Bush knew this.

At the White House ceremony, Webb (like many Republicans) did not want to be photographed with the president and thus took pains to avoid him. Miffed, Dubya came up to the new senator-elect and asked:

"How's your boy?"

Let's take this story out of a political context.

Let's say you're watching a film about a crusading D.A. who has targeted a seemingly untouchable crime kingpin. The D.A. has a son who works in a garage. One night, a mysterious explosion destroys this garage. Although no-one is harmed, nerves are frazzled.

Soon after, the D.A. and the kingpin meet at a fancy social function. The fat crime boss, dressed in a resplendent three-piece suit, approaches the crusading prosecutor. The crime lord takes a puff on his cigar, flashes a dazzling grin, and asks:

"How's your boy?"

Everyone in the audience would understand the subtext.

When Webb expressed the hope that his son would return home soon (a perfectly reasonable response; Lincoln must have heard similar comments), Bush spat: "That's not what I asked you. How's your boy?"

Get it?

"He'd kill us if he had the chance..."