Waldo Jaquith (JAKE-with) is an open government technologist who lives near Charlottesville, VA, USA. more »
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24 replies on “Bush and Webb’s testy exchange.”
President Bush is a dick.
I like it better this way, but Jim Webb does rock.
Tomorrow’s front page Post story on Senator-elect Webb and his exchange with President Bush, this fantastic line from Sen. Schumer had me laughing: “He’s not a typical politician. He really has deep convictions,”
Can’t an argument be made here that President Bush was trying to “reach across the aisle” and “build bridges” with a new member of the opposing party and was met with, oh, I don’t know, insolence?
Jim Webb ran on a promise to check the President’s assumption of powers not granted him in the Constitution. The War Powers Act has the GWOT coming up for renewal. The Congress is about to re-exert it’s authority to fund foreign adventures, and there will be many more tough questions for the Whitehouse. The President has been given assurances that the new majority will not pursue Impeachment. He got his Christmas gift early. Move on.
Can’t an argument be made here that President Bush was trying to “reach across the aisle” and “build bridges” with a new member of the opposing party and was met with, oh, I don’t know, insolence?
No.
“Reaching across the aisle” refers to seeking political compromises. In the most charitable interpretation, Bush was trying to make a personal connection while completely avoiding the fact that his question had any connection with his own policies or the strong disagreement with them that Webb is known for, but that’s quite a stretch. For a first meeting, choosing as your question a personal matter over which you have a lot of power and influence isn’t “building bridges,” it’s bullying.
What Bubby and Jim said.
I think the current (and long-standing) logic in such matters is that the parent of a deployed soldier in wartime has the right to be talkative and opinionated on the topic of their child’s deployment.
(That, of course, is what made Cindy Sheehan such a darling for at least a few weeks. The press felt they were obliged to cover what she was saying, because her son had died in Iraq. Such is the privilege of being the parent of a combat-deployed soldier, admittedly not a privilege that many of them likely desire.)
When President Bush asks the parent of a deployed soldier how their kid is doing, the parent has every right to say “I want my kid home.” It’s the president’s obligation to at least nod and smile, offer a condolence or an agreement that it would be good to get said kid home. To respond curtly to such a parental response is, at best, rude. If President Bush didn’t want to talk about Senator-elect Webb’s son, he shouldn’t have brought up the topic.
Well, Jim, I just don’t see it as “bullying.” To me, it’s pretty clear Bush was trying to establish a repoire with Webb and was rebuffed. I ackowledge Webb’s well-known passion about the Iraq War and his obvious love for his son, but getting into a pissing match with the President in the White House the first time you meet him is not the best way to achieve your goals or serve your constituents.
So Webb is supposed to lie to Bush and tell him his son’s doing OK? His son’s not OK, his son is being sent directly into harm’s way for the sole purpose of inflating Bush’s ego and pocketbook. And Bush’s response to this exchange is that he’s anry at Webb?
Webb is going to keep things interesting.
On that I think we can all agree. :)
Where I come from, you don’t “establish a rapport” by starting off asking about the most sensitive subject you have in common.
Webb’s son is a Marine officer who volunteered to serve in his country’s armed forces during a time when it was obvious they might be sent into harm’s way. He’s not some Vietnam-era draftee. I think the “sensitivity” angle is being overblown, particularly in light of the fact Sen-elect Webb wore his son’s old combat boots around the state, making his son’s service a theme in the campaign.
And since when is the Commander-in-Chief not allowed to ask after the well-being of one of his Marines?
BTW, I also think Bush could have handled it better if he’d shown more of a deft touch. “Yeah, I’d like to get him home soon, too, but how’s he doing, Senator? Where is he? Does he have everything he needs?” Etc.
Missed opportunity by both parties, IMO.
Having read the link you provided, I find it appalling that your senator-elect wanted to “slug” the President. It was Webb who was incredibly rude to the President, not vice versa. Webb is fast demonstrating why the Reagan administration got rid of him quickly. Too bad the Senate is stuck with him for the next 6 years.
Smails…
Since when is a volunteer officer or soldier less worthy of our concern than a draftee? Is our entire army not worthy of concern simply because it’s an all-volunteer army?
Perhaps that outlook is why you find it so easy to be a Bush apologist.
Dan…
Of course a volunteer is worthy of concern. That’s what Bush was demonstrating when he asked about him.
I’m not being a “Bush apologist” at all. If you’re happy with Jim Webb’s DC debut as an inveterate ass, then great. I’m not.
New Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Joe Biden says he will hold several weeks of hearings into the Iraq disaster, he’ll have new committee member Jim Webb there to ask the tough questions…and make sure he gets the answers. I can hardly wait!
Make some popcorn. Pull up a chair. Chip the ice off the satellite dish. It’s going to be political theatre at its very best.
You have to admit that whatever side you are on in any of these discussions in Washington, the coming hearings and related stories are the one defining event politically for many people. I was a teenager when Watergate was a big deal. It was fascinating as well.
None of this is to say that these subjects aren’t important, quite the contrary. The reason it is so exciting is that the government has rarely been this screwed up in our lifetimes. Careers will be made and lost in these hearings.
I liked this quote from an anonymous Senate staffer asked about Webb:
“I think he’s going to be a total pain. He is going to do things his own way. That’s a good thing and a bad thing,” the staff member said. But he said that Webb’s personality may be just what the Senate needs.
That’s why I voted for him.
And that’s precisely why he’ll show that Robb and Allen will end the streak of one-term Senators in that seat.
I really doubt that. I’m trying to keep an open mind on Webb. The belief that he will soon (and repeatedly) do something to piss off the left-wing of the Democratic party makes this easier. But, IMHO, he’s off to an awfully shaky start with his unnecessarily provocative display of “independence” as a WH social function.
Wow, that Will column is really lame. He’s not even reading his own paper. Will wrote:
When Bush asked Webb, whose son is a Marine in Iraq, “How’s your boy?” Webb replied, “I’d like to get them [sic] out of Iraq.” When the president again asked “How’s your boy?” Webb replied, “That’s between me and my boy.”
But his own paper reported on the front page the prior day that the conversation was, in fact, this:
“How’s your boy?” Bush asked, referring to Webb’s son, a Marine serving in Iraq.
“I’d like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President,” Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
“That’s not what I asked you,” Bush said. “How’s your boy?”
“That’s between me and my boy, Mr. President,” Webb said coldly…
I have bolded the statement that George Will conveniently left out. He left it out for a reason — it’s the part that makes clear that Bush was being a jerk. That’s really pathetic that Will had to lie to make his story look good.
As Howard Kurtz points out, many pundits think Webb was spot-on with this. The idea that they should have a pleasant, breezy exchange while Webb’s son is in the line of fire in a war that Bush lied his way into is absurd. Webb refuses to pretend otherwise. Good for him.
Waldo,
I noticed the, er, discrepancy, as well. Nevertheless, I maintain my belief that Webb was unnecessarily hostile to W. And, he was literally ;) crucified.
Judge, I’m sure Webb was cool to Bush, but Bush’s “That’s not what I asked you” is by far the most hostile bit in the entire exchange. Webb wasn’t willing to exchange small talk about his son with Bush, so Bush got snippy and fell back to his fratboy dominance. Fortunately he didn’t try any of the insulting nicknames, face clasping, bald head rubbing, shoulder massages, kissing, or other dominance he uses on other people he knows he can get away with humiliating. Probably before the end of his term Bush will try out giving some reporter, staffer, or subordinate politician (perhaps Blair?) a noogie.
I like it better this way, but Jim Webb does rock.
Tomorrow’s front page Post story on Senator-elect Webb and his exchange with President Bush, this fantastic line from Sen. Schumer had me laughing: “He’s not a typical politician. He really has deep convictions,”
Can’t an argument be made here that President Bush was trying to “reach across the aisle” and “build bridges” with a new member of the opposing party and was met with, oh, I don’t know, insolence?
Jim Webb ran on a promise to check the President’s assumption of powers not granted him in the Constitution. The War Powers Act has the GWOT coming up for renewal. The Congress is about to re-exert it’s authority to fund foreign adventures, and there will be many more tough questions for the Whitehouse. The President has been given assurances that the new majority will not pursue Impeachment. He got his Christmas gift early. Move on.
Can’t an argument be made here that President Bush was trying to “reach across the aisle” and “build bridges” with a new member of the opposing party and was met with, oh, I don’t know, insolence?
No.
“Reaching across the aisle” refers to seeking political compromises. In the most charitable interpretation, Bush was trying to make a personal connection while completely avoiding the fact that his question had any connection with his own policies or the strong disagreement with them that Webb is known for, but that’s quite a stretch. For a first meeting, choosing as your question a personal matter over which you have a lot of power and influence isn’t “building bridges,” it’s bullying.
What Bubby and Jim said.
I think the current (and long-standing) logic in such matters is that the parent of a deployed soldier in wartime has the right to be talkative and opinionated on the topic of their child’s deployment.
(That, of course, is what made Cindy Sheehan such a darling for at least a few weeks. The press felt they were obliged to cover what she was saying, because her son had died in Iraq. Such is the privilege of being the parent of a combat-deployed soldier, admittedly not a privilege that many of them likely desire.)
When President Bush asks the parent of a deployed soldier how their kid is doing, the parent has every right to say “I want my kid home.” It’s the president’s obligation to at least nod and smile, offer a condolence or an agreement that it would be good to get said kid home. To respond curtly to such a parental response is, at best, rude. If President Bush didn’t want to talk about Senator-elect Webb’s son, he shouldn’t have brought up the topic.
Well, Jim, I just don’t see it as “bullying.” To me, it’s pretty clear Bush was trying to establish a repoire with Webb and was rebuffed. I ackowledge Webb’s well-known passion about the Iraq War and his obvious love for his son, but getting into a pissing match with the President in the White House the first time you meet him is not the best way to achieve your goals or serve your constituents.
So Webb is supposed to lie to Bush and tell him his son’s doing OK? His son’s not OK, his son is being sent directly into harm’s way for the sole purpose of inflating Bush’s ego and pocketbook. And Bush’s response to this exchange is that he’s anry at Webb?
Webb is going to keep things interesting.
On that I think we can all agree. :)
Where I come from, you don’t “establish a rapport” by starting off asking about the most sensitive subject you have in common.
Webb’s son is a Marine officer who volunteered to serve in his country’s armed forces during a time when it was obvious they might be sent into harm’s way. He’s not some Vietnam-era draftee. I think the “sensitivity” angle is being overblown, particularly in light of the fact Sen-elect Webb wore his son’s old combat boots around the state, making his son’s service a theme in the campaign.
And since when is the Commander-in-Chief not allowed to ask after the well-being of one of his Marines?
BTW, I also think Bush could have handled it better if he’d shown more of a deft touch. “Yeah, I’d like to get him home soon, too, but how’s he doing, Senator? Where is he? Does he have everything he needs?” Etc.
Missed opportunity by both parties, IMO.
Having read the link you provided, I find it appalling that your senator-elect wanted to “slug” the President. It was Webb who was incredibly rude to the President, not vice versa. Webb is fast demonstrating why the Reagan administration got rid of him quickly. Too bad the Senate is stuck with him for the next 6 years.
Smails…
Since when is a volunteer officer or soldier less worthy of our concern than a draftee? Is our entire army not worthy of concern simply because it’s an all-volunteer army?
Perhaps that outlook is why you find it so easy to be a Bush apologist.
Dan…
Of course a volunteer is worthy of concern. That’s what Bush was demonstrating when he asked about him.
I’m not being a “Bush apologist” at all. If you’re happy with Jim Webb’s DC debut as an inveterate ass, then great. I’m not.
New Senate Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Joe Biden says he will hold several weeks of hearings into the Iraq disaster, he’ll have new committee member Jim Webb there to ask the tough questions…and make sure he gets the answers. I can hardly wait!
Make some popcorn. Pull up a chair. Chip the ice off the satellite dish. It’s going to be political theatre at its very best.
You have to admit that whatever side you are on in any of these discussions in Washington, the coming hearings and related stories are the one defining event politically for many people. I was a teenager when Watergate was a big deal. It was fascinating as well.
None of this is to say that these subjects aren’t important, quite the contrary. The reason it is so exciting is that the government has rarely been this screwed up in our lifetimes. Careers will be made and lost in these hearings.
I liked this quote from an anonymous Senate staffer asked about Webb:
That’s why I voted for him.
And that’s precisely why he’ll show that Robb and Allen will end the streak of one-term Senators in that seat.
I really doubt that. I’m trying to keep an open mind on Webb. The belief that he will soon (and repeatedly) do something to piss off the left-wing of the Democratic party makes this easier. But, IMHO, he’s off to an awfully shaky start with his unnecessarily provocative display of “independence” as a WH social function.
Not that this is definitive, but George Will crucified him yesterday in a column titled, “Already Too Busy for Civility.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/29/AR2006112901267.html
Wow, that Will column is really lame. He’s not even reading his own paper. Will wrote:
But his own paper reported on the front page the prior day that the conversation was, in fact, this:
I have bolded the statement that George Will conveniently left out. He left it out for a reason — it’s the part that makes clear that Bush was being a jerk. That’s really pathetic that Will had to lie to make his story look good.
As Howard Kurtz points out, many pundits think Webb was spot-on with this. The idea that they should have a pleasant, breezy exchange while Webb’s son is in the line of fire in a war that Bush lied his way into is absurd. Webb refuses to pretend otherwise. Good for him.
Waldo,
I noticed the, er, discrepancy, as well. Nevertheless, I maintain my belief that Webb was unnecessarily hostile to W. And, he was literally ;) crucified.
Judge, I’m sure Webb was cool to Bush, but Bush’s “That’s not what I asked you” is by far the most hostile bit in the entire exchange. Webb wasn’t willing to exchange small talk about his son with Bush, so Bush got snippy and fell back to his fratboy dominance. Fortunately he didn’t try any of the insulting nicknames, face clasping, bald head rubbing, shoulder massages, kissing, or other dominance he uses on other people he knows he can get away with humiliating. Probably before the end of his term Bush will try out giving some reporter, staffer, or subordinate politician (perhaps Blair?) a noogie.