In the past I have held my comments concerning Jim Webb because of his honorable military service, however, . . . apparently he has been drinking too much of the DC koolaid, and now has become as big a scammer for his own personal gain as the rest of the pukes there.

Shame, shame, shame on Mr. Webb. . . . particularly for a military veteran to deliberately hold up nominees for the Pentagon in a time of war for personal reasons. . . it is apparent that he has gotten too big for his britches and forgotten the meaning of the words honor and trust.

And the same goes for ANY congressperson, regardless of party.


http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=27258

Republicans disheartened by the loss of a Virgina senate seat to Jim Webb in 2006, have discovered he is the gift that keeps on giving. His latest antics put him on par with Nancy Pelosi.

Shortly after becoming Speaker of the House, Representative Pelosi began a feud with the Pentagon over private air service for her travel needs to San Francisco. After September 11, 2001, the Department of Defense provided Speaker of the House, Denny Hastert, a Gulfstream jet to fly back and forth to his constituency. Speaker Pelosi then blindsided the Pentagon with her insistence that she be granted a Boeing 757 to fly her friends, family, and staff with her back and forth to San Francisco.

According to Senate sources, Senator Jim Webb is now staging a similar struggle for family travel.

Sen. Webb has “holds” on four Department of Defense nominees. The nominees are Hon. Nelson M. Ford to be Under Secretary of the Army; Mr. Joseph A. Benkert to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs; Mr. Sean J. Stackley to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition; and Mr. Frederick S. Celec to be Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Chemical and Biological Defense Programs. Their nominations can’t be voted on while the “holds” remain.

Behind the scenes, Sen. Webb has told colleagues the holds are punishment for the Pentagon failing to provide him answers relating to Blackwater Worldwide, the security firm routinely used by the Pentagon. However, multiple Senate sources report the real reason for the hold is far different and very personal.

Sen. Webb is expected to travel on a tax-payer funded junket to Southeast Asia. He wants both his wife and his 18 month old child to accompany him without having to pay reimbursement to the government. Unfortunately, according to a March 9, 2007, letter from Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), while spouses are permitted to go with the Senator, “relatives of Senators (other than spouses) will not be permitted to travel with Senate delegations.”

While none of this controversy has been made public, a senior Republican aide provided a me with a copy of Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s letter of June 26, 2008 to Senator Webb. The letter “follow[ed] up on [their] recent phone conversation and respond[ed] to [Senator Webb’s] letter regarding a training facility proposed by Blackwater Worldwide in Otay Mesa, CA.”

Senator Webb’s letter asked a number of questions about Blackwater Worldwide. Gates’ response curiously goes on to the real reason for Webb’s feud with the Pentagon, “You asked me about the differences between the Department’s policy on military air travel for DoD dependents and for family of members of Congress.”

Senate sources say Senator Webb most likely made it clear on the phone, and not in writing to the Secretary of Defense, that his hold was as much related to personal travel as it was to Blackwater. Curiously, and relevant to the speculation, Secretary Gates felt the need to add a paragraph to his letter about travel of “relatives other than spouses” of members of Congress.

A Senate Republican aide said, “Webb is suggesting that he is holding nominations as punishment for not getting answers back from questions relating to Blackwater, but in reality, it is leverage to get the Secretary to let his wife and eighteen month old both accompany him on this trip.” With the Secretary of Defense’s admonition to Senator Webb that “Senate travel is governed by a memo signed by the Senate leadership dated March 9, 2007, specifically stating that relatives other than spouses are not permitted to travel with Senate delegations” and “DoD Directive 4515.12 prescribes policy for DoD travel support for members of Congress” in a manner reflecting the Senate policy, Senator Webb has run out of legitimate reasons for his holds.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has placed all four nominees on the Senate Executive Calendar subject to the nominees’ “commitment to respond to requests to appear and testify before any duly constituted committee of the Senate.” Nonetheless, according to a Senate aide connected to the Armed Services Committee, Sen.Webb is refusing to release his hold on the nominees despite Secretary Gates’s written response to his questions about Blackwater Worldwide.

You know the old cliche' " Absolute power corrupts absolutely". Lot of truth to that old saying , judging by our esteemed Congressional members.

Let's not forget our esteemed members of the Executive Branch, either, and their oil and banking cronies.

I'd have to agree...to a point. Just about every administration for the last 40 odd years has officials whose actions are questionable. No argument there .

I recall Imus's take on the Virginia Senate race in 2006...."What a choice those people have. They get either an idiot or a pervert."

quote:

Senate sources say Senator Webb most likely made it clear on the phone, and not in writing to the Secretary of Defense, that his hold was as much related to personal travel as it was to Blackwater. Curiously, and relevant to the speculation, Secretary Gates felt the need to add a paragraph to his letter about travel of “relatives other than spouses” of members of Congress.

Wow! I've never seen more damning proof. A smoking gun indeed! Strange they didn't quote the entire paragraph, I guess that would have been to humiliating to Web

We all know this article, which starts off with slandering Pelossi over an issue that was shot down months ago, merely proves how objective they are.

May I suggest we start e-mailing this around? Slander is so much fun, and this stuff especially looks like prime material.

Dave

Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

quote:

Originally posted by dupontgaf:
Let's not forget our esteemed members of the Executive Branch, either, and their oil and banking cronies.

Yeah, good thing there's no influence of this kind on the other side of the aisle.

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

Well, then, since the article states clearly that DefSec Gates answered all the questions relating to Blackwater, . . . you have another explanation?

Besides, my point is this. . . IF Mr. Webb is such a man of Integrity, then he should GO OUT OF HIS WAY to disarm this "smear campaign" and clear the nominees -- POST HASTE.

There is just something about holding up nominees that irritates me. . . whether the real issue here is Blackwater or NOT. . . on EITHER side, ESPECIALLY for Pentagon nominees when we have troops deployed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtSchaeffersMom:

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

Well, then, since the article states clearly that DefSec Gates answered all the questions relating to Blackwater, . . . you have another explanation?

Besides, my point is this. . . IF Mr. Webb is such a man of Integrity, then he should GO OUT OF HIS WAY to disarm this "smear campaign" and clear the nominees -- POST HASTE. Why? so to give you more creedence in accusing him? With some it is damned if you don't and double damned if you do respond. Because folks (like you?) simply have itchy trigger fingers and are going to pull no matter what the answer.

There is just something about holding up nominees that irritates me. . . whether the real issue here is Blackwater or NOT. . . on EITHER side, ESPECIALLY for Pentagon nominees when we have troops deployed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

BTW: What is a "Senate source?"

quote:

Originally posted by SgtSchaeffersMom:

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

Well, then, since the article states clearly that DefSec Gates answered all the questions relating to Blackwater, . . . you have another explanation?

Besides, my point is this. . . IF Mr. Webb is such a man of Integrity, then he should GO OUT OF HIS WAY to disarm this "smear campaign" and clear the nominees -- POST HASTE.

There is just something about holding up nominees that irritates me. . . whether the real issue here is Blackwater or NOT. . . on EITHER side, ESPECIALLY for Pentagon nominees when we have troops deployed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The article says a lot of things, and in the midst of them tosses in an out of context quote.

In fact the article is full of comments that they back up by making other comments. In fact there's nothing in that article that even amounts to a good accusation let alone proof.

It amounts to saying, "Jim Webb bad, because Jim Webb bad. You want proof? We got proof, Jim Webb bad."

I don't think that kind of argument would stand up in court.

Dave

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

I tend to agree here. I suspect it is simply two unrelated issues being lumped together to smear.

quote:

Originally posted by ArtMarsh:

quote:

Originally posted by SurfaceDog:
Sorry, but this is a bunch of hooey. I have a few problems with what these "Senate sources" are saying:

- It's already stipulated that his wife can fly for free. What's at issue is whether his kid can fly for free.

- Whenever I flew with a child under the age of two it was at no additional cost, provided that I could hold the kid on my lap. Even later, when carseats were required and I had to pay, the airfare was greatly reduced.

We're supposed to believe that a sitting United States Senator is delaying a nomination process simply because he may have to pay for his kid on an airplane flight? Riiiiiighhht....

I have disagreed with Webb on a few things, and I've always felt that he quit the SecNav job simply because he couldn't get his way. But while he may be many things, Jim Webb has always been a man of integrity. Do they seriously expect us to believe that he would hold up DoD nominations merely because he's being forced to pay airfare for his 18-month old kid? This is a smear campaign.

I tend to agree here. I suspect it is simply two unrelated issues being lumped together to smear.

Integrity?

Like John Glenn until they waved a space shuttle ride in front of him?

quote:

Originally posted by SSgtRobertMorris:

Integrity?

Like John Glenn until they waved a space shuttle ride in front of him?

Unless I am mistaken... Webb and Glenn are two seperate persons... I would be more apt to state that Webb and Morris are exactly alike... if I were of the opinion that Webb was crooked or corrupt.

So most here have NO problem holding up Pentagon nominees for ANY political reasons? Short of Treason?

I have no problem calling out republicans, even the President on immigration issues and border security, even to the point of calling for his impeachment.

However, it would seem that those of the other side of the aisle are unable to quit nursing at the dems political breast long enough to call out one of their own when something isn't right.

So much for integrity.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtSchaeffersMom:
Well, then, since the article states clearly that DefSec Gates answered all the questions relating to Blackwater, . . . you have another explanation?

What does Webb have to say about these answers? Has he issued a statement saying that there are no further questions, or that all of the questions were answered to his satisfaction? This is the same game that they played with the Navy regarding Admiral Arhtur's nomination to CINCPAC.

quote:

Besides, my point is this. . . IF Mr. Webb is such a man of Integrity, then he should GO OUT OF HIS WAY to disarm this "smear campaign" and clear the nominees -- POST HASTE.

In other words, he should succumb to the smear campaign and give his opponents what they want? Are you serious?? That would show ZERO integrity.

quote:

There is just something about holding up nominees that irritates me. . . whether the real issue here is Blackwater or NOT. . . on EITHER side, ESPECIALLY for Pentagon nominees when we have troops deployed in combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Oh come on - every single position has a grunch of deputies and other subordinates that can manage just fine. Holding up nominations is one of the few powers that Congress has in order to hold the Executive Branch accountable. Unless, of course, you don't think they should exercise any oversight and should just rubber-stamp all nominations.

Well SSM ... I'm just a tad leery of the articles source ... and multiple "unnamed Senate sources" ... enough so that I don't want to bare my butt without a good bit more substance. I have more respect for, and put more credibility in, Senator Webb than I do Red State and unnamed speculators in the Senate.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtSchaeffersMom:
In the past I have held my comments concerning Jim Webb because of his honorable military service, however, . . .
[snip]

Why did you feel the need to cross the line and disrespect this person's HONORABLE military service by trying to tie it to a totally unrelated political issue? This kind of conduct is unsatisfactory and especially does not belong on this Website!

The only thing I can surmise is that you feel justified because you simply do not know any better. Maybe because you have never worn the uniform. If you had, then you truly would realize how disgusting this kind of insult is for those of us who have.

Jim Webb IS a useless POS politician, definitely a DC Puke like you said, but he also IS a US military veteran and THAT deserves respect.

Please make a stronger effort to keep your disrespectful comments concerning politicians who are also veterans focused on the politician.

Jim Webb is said to live in Falls Church, Va which is (if my memory serves) a hoot and a holler from D C. Didn't he in fact keep Congress open for business during the holidays so the President couldn't appoint anyone to office? Anyway, the majority board members thinks unhighly of the Officer, War hero, teacher, writer, politician, husband and Father. Also, his resume stated he resigned from the Naval department back in the 80's refused to decrease ships, to less than 600 I think. Got to keep an eye on these types. Make a hell of VP candidate (I'm not sure which party) and I think that is why he's received a shot across the bow.