Barack Obama is selecting a vice-presidential running mate. I believe that person should be Senator Jim Webb of Virginia.
Here's why:
Obama's campaign is based on change: move away from the old Washington politics as usual and move toward a new era of cooperation. That means he needs to choose someone who does not represent the "old ways" and someone who has not been in Washington so long that he or she is considered to be a part of the old establishment.
Obama needs someone who can balance the war hero record of Senator John McCain. Obama needs someone who can have a powerful and positive impact on the Southern states. Obama needs someone who can impress the right-of-center faction of the Democratic Party and reach out to moderates and left-of-center Republicans. Senator Jim Webb is that person.
Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, Jim Webb is a descendant of the Scots-Irish settlers who came to this country in the 18th century and became pioneers in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Both sides of Webb's family have a strong citizen-soldier military tradition; a sense of duty and service to one's country has been passed down through the generations.
Webb graduated from the Naval Academy in l968, receiving the Superintendent's Commendation for outstanding leadership contributions while a midshipman, and subsequently chose a commission in the Marine Corps.
First in his class of 243 at the Marine Corps Officers' Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, 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 he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Silver Star Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and two Purple Hearts. He later served as a platoon commander and as an instructor in tactics and weapons at Marine Corps Officer Candidates School, and then as a member of the Secretary of the Navy's immediate staff, before leaving the Marine Corps in 1972.
Webb received his J.D. at Georgetown University Law Center in 1975. He served in the U.S. Congress as counsel to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1977 to 1981. In 1982, he 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, he was appointed the inaugural Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. In 1987, he became the first Naval Academy graduate in history to serve in the military and then become Secretary of the Navy.
In addition to Webb's public service, he enjoyed a long career as a writer. He has authored eight books, including six best-selling novels, and has worked extensively as a screenwriter and producer in Hollywood. He taught literature at the Naval Academy as their first visiting writer, has traveled worldwide as a journalist, and earned an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut. In 2004, Webb went into Afghanistan as a journalist, embedded with the U.S. military.
He speaks Vietnamese and has done extensive pro bono work with the Vietnamese community dating from the late l970's.
Jim Webb now serves as the junior Senator from Virginia. He sits on the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations, Armed Services, Veterans' Affairs, and the Joint Economic Committee.
He is the father of children Amy, Jimmy, Sarah, Julia, Georgia (born just weeks before he took the oath of office), and step-daughter Emily. He lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife Hong Le Webb.
If you agree that Jim Webb is a good choice, let them both know what you think.
Here's how to contact them both:
A website was created to draft Jim Webb as Barack Obama's running mate. You will find it at: obamawebb08.com
More resources:
JamesWebb.com - his personal website
Jim Webb - Wikipedia article
Senator Jim Webb - official U.S. Senate website
Obama-Webb 2008 - from Outside the Beltway Why Jim Webb Should be Obama's Running Mate - The Huffington Post
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1 comments:
a-hem...
Obama/Webb 08!!!
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