© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert
Please view the video Jim Webb gives Democratic response to 2007 SOTU (Part 2)
Jim Webb thankfully did speak for the Left and from the heart. I had my fears for the newly elected Senator does have a hawkish past. Senator Webb is known to be a warrior and while he has advocated against the fight in Iraq. His history gave me reason for apprehension. After all the man was Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs. Later he served as Secretary of the Navy. Jim Webb was a devout Republican, and rarely are those of that political ilk active pacifists as I am.
The Webb family has fighting tradition. Senator Webb's father was a Marine. He and his brother each wore the birdie and ball. Currently, his son, also a Marine, is stationed in Iraq. Senator Webb graduated from the Naval Academy. I doubt the curriculum was Liberal Arts. Martial Arts was likely the agenda.
Senator Webb spoke of his lineage and their loyalty to the country. However, his words were not aggressively warlike. The new Senator, Webb stated that service in his family was not politically motivated. Generations of the Webb family trusted that the leaders of this country were as devoted to the well being of its citizenry as the Webb family was to this nation. I was pleased when the idea I forever hope to advance, reciprocal reverence was mentioned.
Senator Webb touched on this topic tenderly, even while discussing battle. Jim Webb avowed, he and his family felt certain that in the past, this nation's leaders demonstrated a "concern for our welfare." Sadly, the Senator stated, this Administration does not. They show no compassion for our soldiers. Webb declared George W. Bush and his 'Battalion' [my word for the combative cronies now occupying the White House] acted "recklessly." Senator Webb reflected on the blatant disregard and contempt this President and his Cabinet showed for expert military opinions. As I listened to this portion of the State of the Union Rebuttal, I was somewhat gratified.
I want to share with all of you a picture that I have carried with me for more than 50 years. This is my father, when he was a young Air Force captain, flying cargo planes during the Berlin Airlift. He sent us the picture from Germany, as we waited for him, back here at home. When I was a small boy, I used to take the picture to bed with me every night, because for more than three years my father was deployed, unable to live with us full-time, serving overseas or in bases where there was no family housing. I still keep it, to remind me of the sacrifices that my mother and others had to make, over and over again, as my father gladly served our country. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as a Marine in Vietnam. My brother did as well, serving as a Marine helicopter pilot. My son has joined the tradition, now serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.Like so many other Americans, today and throughout our history, we serve and have served, not for political reasons, but because we love our country. On the political issues - those matters of war and peace, and in some cases of life and death - we trusted the judgment of our national leaders. We hoped that they would be right, that they would measure with accuracy the value of our lives against the enormity of the national interest that might call upon us to go into harm's way.
We owed them our loyalty, as Americans, and we gave it. But they owed us - sound judgment, clear thinking, concern for our welfare, a guarantee that the threat to our country was equal to the price we might be called upon to pay in defending it.
The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable - and predicted - disarray that has followed.
The war's costs to our nation have been staggering. Financially. The damage to our reputation around the world. The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism. And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.
What truly gave me pause was the earlier portion of the Senator's speech. It was in his introductory statements that the Jim Webb spoke to me. I welcomed the words of concern. However, I thought this portion of the speech was far too short. It was lacking in specifics, though admittedly, it reflected what was stated within the State of the Union, not much. Perhaps, because there is little good that can be said of a country in dire straits domestically, little was offered.
Nevertheless, Senator Webb, citizen Webb spoke of man's inhumanity to man. He questioned the State of our Union. Mister Webb spoke of a country divided.
Domestic policies loomed large in the mind of this man. That, for me, was wondrous. Senator Webb cited the dire need to improve education and health care for all Americans. He questioned the sincerity of a President that speaks of compassion and yet, has done virtually nothing to restore the vitality of New Orleans. '
Senator Webb called Mister Bush to task for speaking of energy independence in each of his annual addresses; yet never truly acting on his proclamations.
Further, this is the seventh time the President has mentioned energy independence in his state of the union message, but for the first time this exchange is taking place in a Congress led by the Democratic Party. We are looking for affirmative solutions that will strengthen our nation by freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, and spurring a wave of entrepreneurial growth in the form of alternate energy programs. We look forward to working with the President and his party to bring about these changes.Jim Webb as I would welcome more than words. This man of action wishes to see some. I am with you Jim. You may recall, I am an activist peacenik. My assertions are not empty.
Lastly, as Senator Webb spoke of the home front, he humbly concluded with an economic discussion. This section of the Rebuttal Speech was perchance my personal favorite. Mister Webb, civilian Webb offered . . .
When one looks at the health of our economy, it's almost as if we are living in two different countries. Some say that things have never been better. The stock market is at an all-time high, and so are corporate profits. But these benefits are not being fairly shared. When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times, what the average worker did; today, it's nearly 400 times. In other words, it takes the average worker more than a year to make the money that his or her boss makes in one day.I never knew that I was such a admirer of former President Andrew Jackson. Apparently I am! As the top one percent of the population prospers, and all others fall, I am gratified to know that there is a philosophy, a history, that promotes awareness and sensitivity for all.Wages and salaries for our workers are at all-time lows as a percentage of national wealth, even though the productivity of American workers is the highest in the world. Medical costs have skyrocketed. College tuition rates are off the charts. Our manufacturing base is being dismantled and sent overseas. Good American jobs are being sent along with them.
In short, the middle class of this country, our historic backbone and our best hope for a strong society in the future, is losing its place at the table. Our workers know this, through painful experience. Our white-collar professionals are beginning to understand it, as their jobs start disappearing also. And they expect, rightly, that in this age of globalization, their government has a duty to insist that their concerns be dealt with fairly in the international marketplace.
In the early days of our republic, President Andrew Jackson established an important principle of American-style democracy - that we should measure the health of our society not at its apex, but at its base. Not with the numbers that come out of Wall Street, but with the living conditions that, exist on Main Street. We must recapture that spirit today.
As I reflect on the practices of this present Administration, I marvel. The State of their Union is solid, for they together climb. The cashboxes of this clannish Cabinet are full. These cronies step over bodies, dead and alive. They care not. As this country crumbles, consistently the citizens are told in "We're not the first to come here with a government divided and uncertainty in the air." In conclusion we hear this utterance, "the State of our Union is strong." Mister Bush, which is it?
I think Senator Jim Webb knows. He spoke of our trials, our tribulations. It seems Mister President, Senator Webb speaks for the public. I know not for whom you speak. I am only certain, it is not I! I thank you Senator Webb for saying what I would have wanted to say aloud, in front of a national audience. Someone must.
Senator Webb, well done!
I offer the full transcript of the speech Senator Jim Webb delivered. May you read it, review it, reflect upon it, and enjoy!
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Democratic Response of Senator Jim Webb
To the President's State of the Union AddressGood evening.
I'm Senator Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown - an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth.
It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the President's message, nor would it be useful. Let me simply say that we in the Democratic Party hope that this administration is serious about improving education and healthcare for all Americans, and addressing such domestic priorities as restoring the vitality of New Orleans.
Further, this is the seventh time the President has mentioned energy independence in his state of the union message, but for the first time this exchange is taking place in a Congress led by the Democratic Party. We are looking for affirmative solutions that will strengthen our nation by freeing us from our dependence on foreign oil, and spurring a wave of entrepreneurial growth in the form of alternate energy programs. We look forward to working with the President and his party to bring about these changes.
There are two areas where our respective parties have largely stood in contradiction, and I want to take a few minutes to address them tonight. The first relates to how we see the health of our economy - how we measure it, and how we ensure that its benefits are properly shared among all Americans. The second regards our foreign policy - how we might bring the war in Iraq to a proper conclusion that will also allow us to continue to fight the war against international terrorism, and to address other strategic concerns that our country faces around the world.
When one looks at the health of our economy, it's almost as if we are living in two different countries. Some say that things have never been better. The stock market is at an all-time high, and so are corporate profits. But these benefits are not being fairly shared. When I graduated from college, the average corporate CEO made 20 times, what the average worker did; today, it's nearly 400 times. In other words, it takes the average worker more than a year to make the money that his or her boss makes in one day.
Wages and salaries for our workers are at all-time lows as a percentage of national wealth, even though the productivity of American workers is the highest in the world. Medical costs have skyrocketed. College tuition rates are off the charts. Our manufacturing base is being dismantled and sent overseas. Good American jobs are being sent along with them.
In short, the middle class of this country, our historic backbone and our best hope for a strong society in the future, is losing its place at the table. Our workers know this, through painful experience. Our white-collar professionals are beginning to understand it, as their jobs start disappearing also. And they expect, rightly, that in this age of globalization, their government has a duty to insist that their concerns be dealt with fairly in the international marketplace.
In the early days of our republic, President Andrew Jackson established an important principle of American-style democracy - that we should measure the health of our society not at its apex, but at its base. Not with the numbers that come out of Wall Street, but with the living conditions that, exist on Main Street. We must recapture that spirit today.
And under the leadership of the new Democratic Congress, we are on our way to doing so. The House just passed a minimum wage increase, the first in ten years, and the Senate will soon follow. We've introduced a broad legislative package designed to regain the trust of the American people. We've established a tone of cooperation and consensus that extends beyond party lines. We're working to get the right things done, for the right people and for the right reasons.
With respect to foreign policy, this country has patiently endured a mismanaged war for nearly four years. Many, including myself, warned even before the war began that it was unnecessary, that it would take our energy and attention away from the larger war against terrorism, and that invading and occupying Iraq would leave us strategically vulnerable in the most violent and turbulent corner of the world.
I want to share with all of you a picture that I have carried with me for more than 50 years. This is my father, when he was a young Air Force captain, flying cargo planes during the Berlin Airlift. He sent us the picture from Germany, as we waited for him, back here at home. When I was a small boy, I used to take the picture to bed with me every night, because for more than three years my father was deployed, unable to live with us full-time, serving overseas or in bases where there was no family housing. I still keep it, to remind me of the sacrifices that my mother and others had to make, over and over again, as my father gladly served our country. I was proud to follow in his footsteps, serving as a Marine in Vietnam. My brother did as well, serving as a Marine helicopter pilot. My son has joined the tradition, now serving as an infantry Marine in Iraq.
Like so many other Americans, today and throughout our history, we serve and have served, not for political reasons, but because we love our country. On the political issues - those matters of war and peace, and in some cases of life and death - we trusted the judgment of our national leaders. We hoped that they would be right, that they would measure with accuracy the value of our lives against the enormity of the national interest that might call upon us to go into harm's way.
We owed them our loyalty, as Americans, and we gave it. But they owed us - sound judgment, clear thinking, concern for our welfare, a guarantee that the threat to our country was equal to the price we might be called upon to pay in defending it.
The President took us into this war recklessly. He disregarded warnings from the national security adviser during the first Gulf War, the chief of staff of the army, two former commanding generals of the Central Command, whose jurisdiction includes Iraq, the director of operations on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and many, many others with great integrity and long experience in national security affairs. We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable - and predicted - disarray that has followed.
The war's costs to our nation have been staggering. Financially. The damage to our reputation around the world. The lost opportunities to defeat the forces of international terrorism. And especially the precious blood of our citizens who have stepped forward to serve.
The majority of the nation no longer supports the way this war is being fought; nor does the majority of our military. We need a new direction. Not one step back from the war against international terrorism. Not a precipitous withdrawal that ignores the possibility of further chaos. But an immediate shift toward strong regionally-based diplomacy, a policy that takes our soldiers off the streets of Iraq's cities, and a formula that will in short order allow our combat forces to leave Iraq.
On both of these vital issues, our economy and our national security, it falls upon those of us in elected office to take action.
Regarding the economic imbalance in our country, I am reminded of the situation President Theodore Roosevelt faced in the early days of the 20th century. America was then, as now, drifting apart along class lines. The so-called robber barons were unapologetically raking in a huge percentage of the national wealth. The dispossessed workers at the bottom were threatening revolt.
Roosevelt spoke strongly against these divisions. He told his fellow Republicans that they must set themselves "as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other." And he did something about it.
As I look at Iraq, I recall the words of former general and soon-to-be President Dwight Eisenhower during the dark days of the Korean War, which had fallen into a bloody stalemate. "When comes the end?" asked the General who had commanded our forces in Europe during World War Two. And as soon as he became President, he brought the Korean War to an end.
These Presidents took the right kind of action, for the benefit of the American people and for the health of our relations around the world. Tonight we are calling on this President to take similar action, in both areas. If he does, we will join him. If he does not, we will be showing him the way.
Thank you for listening. And God bless America.
Please review the references . . .
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