George Will On Senator Temper-Tantrum

Kilo had it first.

Here is Will's entire article:

Jim Webb is not what Washington needs more of
By George Will
Wednesday, November 29, 2006

WASHINGTON -- That was certainly swift. Washington has a way of quickly acculturating people, especially those who are most susceptible to derangement by the derivative dignity of office. But Jim Webb, Democratic senator-elect from Virginia, has become a pompous poseur and an abuser of the English language before actually becoming a senator.

Wednesday's Washington Post reported that at a White House reception for newly elected members of Congress, Webb ``tried to avoid President Bush,'' refusing to pass through the reception line or have his picture taken with the president. 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.'' Webb told the Post:

``I'm not particularly interested in having a picture of me and George W. Bush on my wall. No offense to the institution of the presidency, and I'm certainly looking forward to working with him and his administration. (But) leaders do some symbolic things to try to convey who they are and what the message is.''

Webb certainly has conveyed what he is: a boor. Never mind the patent disrespect for the presidency. Webb's more gross offense was calculated rudeness toward another human being -- one who, disregarding many hard things Webb had said about him during the campaign, asked a civil and caring question, as one parent to another. When -- if ever -- Webb grows weary of admiring his new grandeur as a ``leader'' who carefully calibrates the ``symbolic things'' he does to convey messages, he might consider this: In a republic, people decline to be led by leaders who are insufferably full of themselves.

Even before Webb's studied truculence in response to the president's hospitality, Webb was going out of his way to make waves. A week after the election, he published a column in The Wall Street Journal that began this way: ``The most important -- and unfortunately the least debated -- issue in politics today is our society's steady drift toward a class-based system, the likes of which we have not seen since the 19th century. America's top tier has grown infinitely richer and more removed over the past 25 years. It is not unfair to say that they are literally living in a different country.''

Well.

In his novels and his political commentary, Webb has been a writer of genuine distinction, using language with care and precision. But just days after winning an election, he was turning out slapdash prose that would be rejected by a reasonably demanding high school teacher.

Never mind Webb's careless and absurd assertion that the nation's incessantly discussed wealth gap is ``the least debated'' issue in American politics.

And never mind his use of the word ``literally,'' although even with private schools and a large share of the nation's wealth, the ``top tier'' -- whatever cohort he intends to denote by that phrase; he is suddenly too inflamed by social injustice to tarry over the task of defining his terms -- does not ``literally'' live in another country.

And never mind the cavalier historical judgments -- although is he sure that America is less egalitarian today than it was, say, 50 years ago, when only about 7 percent of American adults had college degrees? (Twenty-eight percent do today.) Or 80 years ago, when more than 80 percent of American adults did not have high school diplomas (85 percent have them today), and only about 46 percent owned their own homes, compared with 69 percent today?

But notice, in the second sentence of Webb's column, the word ``literally'' appears, the word ``infinitely.'' Earth to Webb: Words have meanings that not even senators can alter. And he has been elected to be a senator, not Humpty Dumpty in ``Through the Looking Glass.'' (``When I use a word it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.'') America's national economic statistics are excellent; Webb could actually tell us how much richer the ``top tier'' has become, relative to other cohorts, over a particular span. But that would require him to actually say who he is talking about, and that takes time and effort, and senators -- Webb is a natural -- often are too busy for accuracy.

Based on Webb's behavior before being sworn in, one shudders to think what he will be like after that. He already has become what Washington did not need another of, a subtraction from the city's civility and clear speaking.

Amen. As Kilo also pointed out, the blogosphere's deep man-crush for Webb, to the point where his day-to-day movements are reported as breaking news, his behaviour was boorish and rude the president of the United States. George Bush was simply looking in on how his son was doing, all Webb had to say was "he's fine but we are anxious to get him home," and leave it at that. Furthermore, its clear the Webb's people released this story, including his urge to "slug" Bush. Which tells me that Webb is looking for a fight and is more than willing to use his son's service to get it. Though the left will never accept it, George W. Bush deeply cares for the troops as their commander-in-cheif, and he is very popular with the troops (or at least thats what 2004 proved). Not only was Webb acting like an ass, it seems that he might be trying to imply that he doesn't care about the average troops. I doubt there is one politician who has met with more families and soldiers than Bush. And this is his obligation. He doesn't talk about it and he doesn't glorify it. For Webb to turn his son's service into a political hammer to batter Bush and Republicans with is disgusting and insulting to Republicans (like Bob McDonnell, among others) who have children in service and don't say a word about it. Webb wore his sons boots the entire campaign, and held them up at his victory rally, but how DARE George Bush ask about his well beaing? If Webb's son didn't want to be in combat, he shouldn't have joined the Marines. After all, there is no draft.

And what does it say about a 60 year old man refusing the shake the hand of a man who has graciously invited him into, what is in all intents and purposes, his home?

Jim Riley thinks Webb won't last 6 years. I tend to disagree, but by the time the the Senate and his own temper is through with him, Jim Webb wlll be a has-been senator who can't be trusted by Democrats and loathed by Republicans. He said he wants to stand alone, and it looks like he will. I hope enjoys the independence that irrelavence brings.

All six years of it.

Comments

[brimur]

I'm with Webb. George W. Bush doesn't give two shits for Jimmy Webb or he would have done a thousand things differently. It's insulting that he'd even have the nerve to speak to Webb about his son.

[brimur]

Your title is pretty insulting too. Temper tantrum? His damn son is in the line of fire in Iraq- and George W. Bush's glass cowboy foreign policy is to blame.

[Kilo]

I have friends and family in the line of fire also. Their parents will not want to so slug you is you ask how they are doing.
But if you choose to call them "damn son" they may just slug you.

[MC]

Nobody told Webb's son to go into the military. And Webb chose to make his son's service a political issue, so don't go crying becasue Republicans are calling him on it.

And what does it say about a grown 60 year old man to treat his host in such a manner. Eventually campaigns have to stop, even if for one night.

[BDM]

Anger will not serve you Brimur. Neither does a potty mouth attitude you take when it comes to your comments. The question was a rather simple one. All Webb had to say was "He is fine" and move on. President Bush wants to work with the new Congress and Jim Webb said he looks forward to working with the Administration. If this recent episode is a sign of things to come, it would seem Webb is only going to work with people so long as the end result comes with him (Webb) getting his own way.

[David]

Of course the right Bush's totally ignores the President's comeback line of "I didn't ask that".

George W Bush has made a science out of being a boor, Mr. Will. He would make his mentor, Dick Cheney, proud. If you want to call someone on boorish behavior try starting in the White House and working down. You may run out of columns by the time this administration leaves office.

[George Templeton]

So let me see it is ok to disrespect the President if you are a Democrat, but Jesse Helms saying "I don't think President Clinton should come to North Carolina" is the worst offense in the world. How about a little consistency here.
And I hope some of you have noticed that some posters on NLS would have liked to see Sen.-elect Webb punch the President. He would have been hero #1 to the left-wing blogosphere dor doing it. In the mean time can we all pray for Webb's son to make it home safely from Iraq.

This isn't complicated. Both men behaved badly. Webb's response was within the bounds of reason (I want them (?) home from Iraq). Bush could have responded: "I hope he's safely home soon." The President's "I didn't ask that" was out of bounds. Webb's general churlishness at the White House was out of bounds, as was his (or his staff's) after action report on the event Where are the grown-ups?

[brimur]

MC: You are too informed to have mistakenly stated that Webb made a "political issue" out of his son's service. So you lied. You know that to be the opposite of the truth. Never did he mention it in an ad, never did he bring it up in a debate, nor bring it up in an interview.

Webb won the election. Your guy lost. Get over it.
I'm sure that the same right wingers who are fuming over this would have been delighted if, during the Clinton administration, say, Rick Santorum, had behaved similarly towards President Clinton because of Monica Lewinsky. "Upholding traditional family values!" He would have been a hero on Fox News and O"Reilly, and probably would have garnered a favorable column from George Will as well.

[Rob]

It's amazing how the left assigns the worst, evil motives possible to Bush all the time. I think going into Iraq was a mistake, but it's also incredibly obviously that the Prez, left to his own devices, is a really nice guy, who DOES care about the troops quite a bit. He just doesn't think he was wrong to send them there. That's a far cry from viewing them as cannon fodder or whatever y'all seem to think he sees them as. Webb should've relaxed.

[Bwana]

I guess this means the new Virgina Motto will be something like "temper Tantrum Tyrannis"?

Oh, come on...we kid because we love...

[bwana]

In the interests of fairness, Brimur probably has forgotten that Webb wore combat boots on the campaign trail-which had to remind folks of both his service and his son's. And when he conducted an interview with a reporter from a Roanoke paper while driving to Camp Lejeune, he did bring his son into the campaign.

So yes, he did implicitly interject his son into the campaign.

Glass houses, my man.

[Janie]

Why did Webb go to the White House? Webb knew that there would be a receiving line, he knew that he wouldn't stand in it and great his host. So why go? To make some idiotic, rude, statement?

Webb isn't even in office yet and he's already an embarrassment to Virginians. I don't imagine that he'll be getting much done for VA in the next 6 years since no Senators will want to cooperate with him after he's rude and insulting to them. Let's face it, the man has never been able to get along with anyone, anywhere. If he's not in charge, he's rude and boorish, then leaves in his huff. Let's hope that is sooner rather than later.